Community Information Services in Public Libraries: A Case Study of KNLS Nairobi County

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Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) has been providing community information services based at the Community Area for a quite a long time. The services have benefitted all categories of the public. Despite this effort, no study has been carried out to establish the kind of information services and details about the people who use these services. In this regard, this study endeavored to investigate the provision of community information services by Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) in Nairobi County with a view of proposing strategies to improve its services. The objectives of the study were to: explore what information resources and services were available; establish the information needs of the users; identify the forms of community information services available; establish the users of community information services; examine the challenges faced in accessing and using need information; and to propose ways to improve the provision of community information services. The study used qualitative research method. The interview schedules were the main data collection instrument. The interviews were administered on 100 respondents Data was qualitatively analyzed by means of pie charts and tables. The study found that majority of the respondents use community information services, mobile services, children reading tents that provides relevant information that meets the needs of the community, libraries and other information centers where the users access the information which is relevant to the users were some of the Constitutes of community information services. Further, the study found that community information services improved the living standards of the rural people, it takes the information resources to those who do not have access to the libraries due to long distances, it saves the users time and enhance the reading culture among the communities, it educates the users on their way of living and improves the economic resources and it also promotes good governance. The study concludes that resources are available to support community information services at KNLS and at Nairobi County also Kenya National Library Service has laid down procedures of conducting community information services. The study recommends that library staffs who are not computer literate should take positive steps to remedy their deficiencies since Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have come to stay. Short computer training and retraining programs should be organized from time-to-time to assist Librarians who do not have knowledge and computer skills.