LIBRARY SERVICES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

There is striking scarcity of literature on the subject of library services for distance learning in Kenya. Both among scholars and librarians, the subject of library services has not been given a lot of attention. However there is recognition that adequate supply of library and information services to distance learners is critical for success of distance

learning programmes. In the case of UON, Makau has observed that perhaps exception of mathematics, the material contained in the unit booklets used for distance learning, rather like lectures in the traditional on the campus degree constitutes only a basic structure of knowledge which needs to be build upon through the study of other sources. ²¹⁹ In the first year of the programme in 1985, the faculty operating distance education at UON used part of the fees paid for the course to buy essential books and distributed them to students. This approach proved to be expensive. Currently those students participating in traditional distance learning are expected to borrow books from libraries (including public university libraries, the Kenya National Library Services and non-governmental institutions) or individually purchase their own books from booksellers

The African Virtual University (AVU) has created a digital library to facilitate access to worldwide resources by students. This includes journals, textbooks, and online archives.

The AVU catalogue is a searchable database that covers a wide variety of topics. This database contains about 3855 entries, which provides links to information all over Internet, which are meant to supplement library resources currently available at partner institutions. All searchable items have been indexed into browsable Web pages by author, subject, titles and series. The online journal service, named ProQuest thus provides access to over 1,100 journal and magazine abstracts and full text articles going back 10 years or more. The ProQuest is made available through Howell Information and Learning and all students obtain User Identification. The World Bank search page also provides links to those of other international organisations.

At KU apart from instructional print materials, students have to make journeys to the university library to access and borrow reading materials or make use of other relevant libraries in their locality. At USIU, besides the print resources the library has subscribed to electronic databases with a total of 6000 electronic journal with full text articles which means that students not only access the library resources but also the Internet resources.

219 Makau, p. 325

Apparently provision of library and information services for distance education has experienced problems right from the inauguration of the programme in UON in 1985.

These problems include lack of institutional policies regarding provision of library and information services, inadequate physical facilities and human resources, lack of adequate funding, and poorly developed information technology.

The most critical problem facing library services for distance education is lack of institutional policies to guide the provision of information for this category of learners.

While there is agreement that access to adequate library resources is essential for attainment of superior academic skills, there exists ambivalent attitude among the planners of distance education programmes towards the role of these services to the distance learning community. In the absence of policy and clear commitment by institutions concerned, it is not possible to arrange for optimal funding, planning and implementation programmes for the provision of library services to distance learning.

Inadequate funding and its accompanying effects of poor facilities, equipment and resources is a major hindrance towards the provision of access to and timely library services to distance learners. At present some libraries in host institutions especially public universities are facing unprecedented decline in funding from their parent organisations. This means they do not have sufficient funds to purchase reading materials such as journals and monographs, equipment such as computers, and enlist the services of qualified staff. Therefore the libraries from which students are encouraged to borrow books from lack financial resources necessary for acquiring a sufficiently large stock of books relevant to the courses. For students who live away regular use of the library is inhibited by costs (money and time) involved in visiting the library, short loan period for books and restricted use of rare books, thesis and journals. The circumstances where distance learners have to spend a lot of money on reading materials leads to high drop out from the course which has been observed to stand between 15% and 25%.²²⁰ The public library system in Kenya, the Kenya National Library Services is itself experiencing

220 Otiende, J.E. : Distance Education and National Development: The Case of External Degree Programme of the University of Nairobi. - Paper Submitted for Presentation at the 14^th. World Conference in International Council of Education, Oslo, Norway, 9-16 August 1988. – p. 6

shortage of facilities with poor coverage of the country whereby as at the end of the year 2000 it had a total of 26 operational libraries. Besides these libraries do not have academic materials that can support university learning.

The concept of library services for distance education though not new is relatively poorly developed as a professional specialisation. Most of the schools of library and information science do not have curriculum courses and units of study in this area of specialisation within librarianship. There is therefore shortage of human resources to manage and co-ordinate distance learning library services. This has also limited librarians’ ability to come up with forward-looking programmes aimed at providing adequate services to the distance learning community.

The use of virtual services such as Web pages or Internet searching is a viable alternative to the provision of print based services which makes it imperative to physically visit the library to satisfy specific information needs. However library automation in Kenyan university libraries has largely addressed itself to existing internal functions: acquisition, cataloguing, circulation and administration. Internet technology is still at its infancy in the country and it is hindered by high costs of installation, access and poor telecommunication infrastructure in the country and so far Internet services are largely restricted to the main towns where the right infrastructure exists.