Abstract:
The aim of the study was to analyze the information needs and information seeking
behaviour of members of the Catholic Religious Institutes (CRIs) in the Archdiocese of
Nairobi. Survey method was adopted for the study. The study population consisted of
priests, religious brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Nairobi. A total of 95 members
of CRIs participated in the study. Data was collected through self-administered
questionnaires and interview schedules. The major findings of the study were that members
of the CRIs faced various challenges that inhibited effective access and use of information.
The following recommendations were made based on the research findings that is; the CRIs
directors should support training of their staff in library and information science in order to
improve the provision of services through qualified staff, those CRIs which do not have
internet connectivity should connect the internet to the libraries to enable their members
access electronic resources, they should also adopt easier ways such as WI-FI in providing
internet services to their members, the CRIs should provide diverse collection to their
members other than religious information materials, the CRIs directors should recognize
the role of library in the members apostolate and give support in building library
infrastructure, and finally creation of awareness of availability of electronic resources
among CRIs members to enable them utilize the available resources.