Website for services in faith based academic libraries in Kenya: case study of a private Christian University Library

Abstract

Patrons have overlooked academic library websites as a source of information access. There were gaps in meeting user needs in the digital era as librarians lacked the necessary skills needed for offering service through the website. This research aimed to describe how websites are used for services in faith-based academic libraries in Kenya with reference to a Private Christian University Library. There were six research questions to address the problem. These were: (1) What content is available on the website of the academic library? (2) How is the academic library using the website for service delivery? (3) How are students utilizing the website to access the library’s services offered by the academic library? (4) What lived experiences have students and librarians had with the website of the academic library? (5) How does the academic library market its services through the website? And (6) What strategies can be used to improve service delivery through the website of the academic library? The qualitative research approach was used to determine the answers to the research questions. The study used the descriptive case study research design. The context of this research was an academic library of a private Christian institution in Kenya. Purposive sampling method was used for this qualitative study. Nine students and two librarians were interviewed. A content analysis checklist was used to collect data from the website. Trustworthiness was increased by considering credibility, confirmability, dependability, consistency, transferability, and utilization of the data. Six themes emerged from the study. The themes were (1) library content, (2) information services, (3) access to information, (4) lived experiences, (5) marketing the library, and (6) excellence in service delivery. The academic library used the website to display library information and to provide access to information resources. The students only knew about the OPAC and the library databases that was accessible through the MyLOFT software. The librarians did not evaluate the effectiveness of the website in offering library services. There was no marketing plan for the library.