INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES OF NAIROBI AND THARAKA- NITHI COUNTIES

Abstract

Studies have shown that many students have very little or no basic knowledge about library use and information searching skills when they enroll in higher institutions. This study investigated the information literacy standards of school libraries in Nairobi and Tharaka-Nithi. It selected Nairobi and Tharaka-Nithi, which represent urban (Nairobi) and rural populations (Tharaka-Nithi). Data was collected using questionnaires. Systematic sampling was used to select 30 secondary schools (20 schools from Nairobi and 10 from Tharaka-Nithi) out of of 304 secondary schools, while stratified random sampling was used to classify the students into four strata (Form 1-4). A total of 385 students were sampled (255 from Nairobi and 130 from Tharaka-Nithi). Results revealed that 90% of the students had visited the library out of which 34.1% visited the library 3-4 times weekly, while 26.4% on daily basis, mainly to borrow books (35.6%) and to study (33.7%). In addition, 37.5% and 24.1% of the students had used the library sometimes and most of the time respectively for private study. Moreover, 68.3% of the students described the library as a quiet place where they concentrate while doing their study. The results show that more needs to be done towards improving the libraries so that the students can be encouraged to visit them frequently. Secondary school libraries do not have apart from books various formats of information resources that would be more appealing to the students. Secondary school libraries should incorporate in their collection a variety of formats of information resources that are more captivating than books.