Analysing the provision of Information to Staff and Members of Nyandarua County Assembly, Kenya

Abstract

An efficient and effective provision of quality and relevant information is the lifeblood for the success of any individual or an organization, and hence cannot be ignored. Likewise, information resources and/or services can similarly play a vital role in decision making and service delivery to both the staff and members of Nyandarua County Assembly. Observation and informal discussions with a number of the prospective users of the available resources at Nyandarua County Assembly reveal that the library’s information services remain underutilized. Many users are also unaware of what information resources they can identify with and use comfortably to meet their daily information needs. The study was designed with an aim to analyse the provision of information resources to staff and members of Nyandarua County Assembly, with a view of coming up with suggestions to enhance an effective and efficient provision and use of information resources and services. The research objectives were to: identify the information needs of users at Nyandarua county assembly; establish the information resources and services obtainable at the library; examine the ways in which information is provided to users; identify the challenges encountered in the provision of information services; and make suggestions for improvement in the provision of information resources and services at the county assembly library. This study was informed by two models; the Wilson’s theory of information behaviour and the Niedźwiedzka’s new model of information behaviour. The study adopted a descriptive research design using a case study approach employing qualitative approaches with some aspects of quantitative techniques. The target population was 119 staff and members of Nyandarua county assembly. The study incorporated both stratified random and purposive sampling technique to get a representative sample. Fifty percent of the county assembly members and staff from the directorates of ICT, legal, administration, and finance were sampled to give a sample size of 60 from whom data were collected. Data collection methods employed were administration of questionnaires to the staff and interviews for the county assembly members. Five key informants were purposively sampled and interviewed. The study found that; the library lacked the prerequisite information resources on parliamentary procedures and devolution, members of County Assembly and staff were generally dissatisfied with the information resources provided, there lacked an adequate sitting area to provide a reading space for users, and there were no suitable library policies. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the provision of information resources was deficient since users’ information needs were not being largely taken into consideration when designing and developing information resources. The following recommendations were made: regular assessment of users’ information needs; provision of up to date library resources; design and implementation of users education programs; introduction of appropriate library services; compilation of subject bibliographies; introduction of indexing and abstracting; provision of an adequate fund setting up a modern spacious library; and full integration of ICT in provision of information services and resources.