By Prisca Adaeze Nenger
In a bid to fulfil its vision and mission, Kampala International
University (KIU) at the time of its inception in 2001 developed library
services to support teaching, learning and research (http://library.kiu.ac.ug/).
The library services which were initially accommodated in an ‘L” shaped
first floor of the University’s Administration Block, were soon
considered inadequate for the many thousands of students who flocked the
university from all over Africa in search of academic excellence. In
2010 however, KIU Management thought it appropriate to put up a
befitting structure, big enough to accommodate the growing number of
staff and students. This dream became a reality in August 2013 when the
magnificent multi-billion dollar library opened its doors for use.
An integral part of KIU, the library is the treasure home of human
knowledge. It is the intellectual hub of the University that supports
study, teaching, research and social information needs. Guided by its
motto ‘To serve with Utmost Gusto’, the library has grown over
the years from one large room that was manned by one member of staff and
a seating capacity of 1,000 users, to an eight floors ultra-modern
building that serves over 30,000 users and employs over 40 professional
and support staff.
Currently rated as the best University Library in Uganda and among
the biggest University Libraries in Africa after Cairo University’s
Library and University of Dar es Salaam Library. The state of art
eight-floor building measures 15,700 square meters, with a seating
capacity of 5,500 users. The library’s facilities are modern, designed
innovatively to facilitate the new information technology trends.
Floor by Floor Description:
The entrance to The IBML is on the Upper Ground Floor which
accommodates The Open Lounge, Exhibition Area, Cloak Room, Control
Desk, University Bookshop, Reference and Circulation Desk, On-line
Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), University Librarian and Deputy
Librarian’s Offices, The Library Board Room, Security CCT Offices,
Coffee Room, a Courtyard, Newspaper Display Racks and Shelving Space.
Under the current situation, the Eastern Wing of the floor houses the
Reserved Books Section where recommended text books are shelved and
loaned out In-house for a duration of three hours.
The Lower Ground Floor houses the Loading and
Unloading Bay, Server Room, Book Binding Section, Technical Services
Section, University Archives and the Security Control Unit. This is
Technical Services Section responsible for receiving, processing,
labeling and providing access to all information materials to library
users. The section is also charged with automating the library
collections and maintaining an efficient Open Public Access Catalogue
(OPAC) System. Within the section is a Bindery Unit where damaged books
are repaired. The section is out of bound to non-library staff.
On the First Floor are offices for the Readers’
Services and the Periodicals’ Librarians, Current Journals Display Racks
and Journal Back Issues storage space. This is a general reading area
for any library patron with books in Humanities, Classes A to P. This
floor is planned to house a Children’s Library.
The Second Floor houses the Law Library Collection
in closed access. There is a reading area for library patrons
interested in law-related books. The Law Library (Closed Access)
provides information services to all students, lecturers and researchers
studying or interested in law and related fields. The Law Library has a
collection of over 1200 volumes of books and periodicals. These include
statutes of different countries, local and foreign law reports, and law
students’ research reports. Popular local authors available in the
collection include Prof. G. W. Kanyeihamba, former Chief Justice B. J.
Odoki, D. J. Bakibinga, L. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, J. P. Omony among
others. Law Library collections are kept in Closed Access. To use the
materials, patrons need a valid library card. The books are loaned out
for duration of three hours. If no other person has requested for such a
book, the same material can be re-borrowed. Most common free online
legal information that is accessed by KIU community can be found on http://www.ulii.org; http://www.kenyalaw.org; http://www.zimlii.org; http://www.saflii.org; and http://www.nigeria-law.org.
The Third Floor houses Post Graduate Library with
reading materials both closed and open access. It also houses a Special
Collection that includes: Theses, Government Publications and
Kanyeihamba Collection, all in Closed Access.
The Forth Floor, which is not yet fully complete, is expected to house Study Carrels, Study Rooms, and a general reading space.
The Fifth Floor is planned to have reading space and
two computer laboratories where electronic literature will be accessed
by undergraduate students.
The Sixth Floor, when complete will house a big
state of art Tele-Conferencing Facility equipped to seat over 100
patrons, two small conference facilities, a multimedia research center,
Faculty Staff Study Rooms, Study Carrels (eight lockable and twelve
open), four smart card operated photocopiers and two also smart card
operated printers.
There is an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Computer terminals
conspicuously located in the centre of each floor thus, making the
entire library building to be wired with power and data connection
points for easy access of materials by users.
Services Offered:
The IBML being an automated ultra-modern library provides a wide
range of traditional and non-traditional services, which include
reference and information services, lending, multimedia access and
information literacy instruction.
The library has a well-stocked collection with over 80,000 print
books covering all academic disciplines KIU offers. The books are
carefully selected and systematically organized according to the Library
of Congress Classification Scheme (LCC); the scheme that meets the
needs of large academic libraries. Unlike most university libraries in
Uganda, which use Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme (DDC) that is
limited to 10 Arabic Numerical 1 to 10, LCC uses letters A to Z that
represent the world’s subjects of knowledge; thus being more specific in
directing library users. In addition to book stocks, the library has
several print journal titles, magazines, newsletters, government and
institutional publications.
Being a modern library, The IBML subscribes to a wide range of
multidisciplinary electronic resources; electronic journal databases
most which provide full-text articles and e-books. This provides more
than enough scholarly information to support teaching, learning and
research requirements at the university.
E-journals databases include Emerald, Cambridge journals online, Sage
publications, EBSCO host, Oxford University Press, JSTOR, among others.
For a complete list of e-journals and e-books available to KIU
community.
E-resources are accessible both On-Campus and Off-Campus. For
Off-Campus access, one needs to have login details of username and
password. The IBML implemented Off-Campus access to e-resources using
EZproxy connection in October 2016. Login details were sent to
individual students and staff by e-mails. If you are a member of KIU
community and do not have login details, kindly contact the E-Resources
Librarian or send an email to [email protected].
The library conducts training sessions for both students and staff
each semester in Information Search Strategies, Evaluation of
Information Sources, Reference Management tools, mobile tools for
information access, etc. These training sessions are aimed at equipping
students and staff with Information Literacy Skills for lifelong
learning. Library users can photocopy limited pages of information
materials available in the IBML at a small fee. Photocopiers are found
on 1st and 2nd Floors; patrons are encouraged to observe the copyright laws when photocopying from any information material.
Special Features:
Among the special features found at The IBML is the News Room that is
equipped with a television set, a radio, and houses major local and
regional dailies together with easy chairs and tables where library
users sit to update themselves on current affairs. The room is very
popular especially at 1.00 p.m. the local news time. Next to the News
Room is the Staff Lounge where eats and drinks are served during lunch
time.
Postgraduate Students and Researchers
Postgraduate & Research Library is mainly for Postgraduate
students and researchers. The Library houses a special collection
consisting of books on a wide range of postgraduate courses, especially
in research methods and statistics. There are also Government of Uganda
Publications, Journals of different types and news-papers. The Library
offers two types of services: Open Access and Closed Access. The major
collection in Closed Access is students’ dissertations and theses. These
are loaned out on presentation of a valid library card and must be read
within the library.
KIU Institutional Repository (KIUIR):
The IBML is home to KIU Institutional Repository (KIUIR) development,
using D-Space software. This is a digital collection of over 700
research publications output from KIU stakeholders, hosted at www.ir.kiu.ac.ug,
which contains journal articles, conference papers, Masters and
Doctoral theses. A variety of rare materials such as reports and dataset
are also included. The repository serves as an avenue for KIU to
display her research outputs on the web and a permanent preservation.
Also in the offing is an equally important part of the IBML–printing,
which is due to be commissioned soon. KIU acquired high-class printing
machinery for printing most KIU works. Once this is up and running, the
library will boast of first class printing services at the campus.
The IBML is presided over by a dedicated vibrant trained staff who
are ever available to assist with both online and offline reference
services and other information needs throughout the year. The Board of
Trustees, The University Council, The Senate, The Management and all
staff fraternity are excited about the future of KIU and all its
campuses libraries; a future that is very bright and largely depends on
mutual trust and collaboration.
‘TO SERVE WITH UTMOST GUSTO’