Public Libraries in Kenya: Collection Development

Abstract

The public library should provide equality of access to a range of resources that meets the needs of its users for education, information, leisure and personal development. The library should provide access to the heritage of its society and develop diverse cultural resources and experiences. Constant interaction and consultation with the local community will help to ensure this objective. Collections complement services and should not be seen as an end in them, but their primary purpose is the preservation and conservation of resources for future generations. Large collections are not synonymous with good collections, particularly in the new digital world. The relevance of the collection to the needs of the local community is more important than the size of the collection. In this paper collection development in public libraries in Kenya mainly on acquisition during 2005-2009 and average books per KNLS library has been discussed.