There’s a special name for theft of library books in Kenya…it’s booklifting, and it’s rampant in libraries in Nairobi and around the country.
Attienna Okundu, of the National Book And Development Council Of Kenya, said that booklifting is a concern “for almost every library. When we train librarians, the issue of security is one of the central issues addressed.” Many libraries do employ a security force, but it hasn’t had much success tackling the booklifting trend.
The BBC is working with Kenyan Ruben Gitahi, to assist in bringing the problem to light and to minimize the loss to collections.
Library Theft
It is difficult in our Western world to realize how valuable books and magazines are in the Third World. I ran a medical library in the Philippines some years ago, and theft in the library from the local staff was rampant. Single issues of the Journal of the American Medical Association could be sold to doctors in Manila, who would spread them out in their waiting room to give the impression they were up to snuff in Western medicine and impress their patients. Other books were stolen not only for their value of information, but also to give an impressive appearance to professional libraries and offices.
There is also an interesting aspect of intellectual famine. In many third world countries, there is a starvation for intellectual stimulation that rivals the need for drugs to addicts. Books from outside the country can be a godsend, and new ideas and concepts can excite the mind so completely that moral precepts are dropped (like drug addicts who steal to support their habits). This is not to say that there are not intellectual discussions and people in third world countries, but one of the points that makes any nationa a third world country is that there are infrequent methods for these people to get together and congregate and produce synergy from their meetings. Libraries are one ofthese sites, but since it may be difficult to get to and use, often materials are stolen so the best use can be made of infrequent visits. It is a poor round robin that perpetuates Third World poverty, both in cash and ideas.
Bookaid.org and Kenya
Coincidentally, I just stumbled across BookAid.org — an organization which works to supply books primarily to 3rd-world counties’ libraries (especially in Africa) and tries to support and build the local book publishing industry.
Funny thing is that their most recent newsletter has, as a cover story, “Kenya needs more reading materials.” Here is the PDF file having that story (642 kb in size).
Re:Bookaid.org and Kenya
Oops, forgot to mention another resource.
Here is another page (very long!) related to the book situation in Kenya.