The importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services in Zambia

Abstract

Legislation plays an important role in the provision of national and public library services. In Zambia, however, libraries that perform the functions of national and public libraries are operating without a legislative mandate. As a result, there is fragmentation of library services as there is no single institution which performs all the functions of a national library service. Although several efforts have been made in the past to enact national library service legislation, no Act of Parliament has been passed to date (2015). This study provides empirical evidence depicting the benefits of having legislation in the provision of national and public library services. The study identifies institutions that perform functions of national and public library services in Zambia. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to public library staff and interviews with senior government officials and executive members of the Zambia Library Association and Zambia Library Consortium. The study recommends that appropriate legislation that puts together the functions of public and national libraries under one institution be enacted in Zambia as soon as possible. Failure to transform this pattern will jeopardise the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.

Keywords

Library legislation national library national library services public libraries Zambia Zambia Library Association

Introduction

The importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services cannot be overemphasized. It is through legislation that authorities can provide national and public library services, and ensure adequate financial support and efficient administration according to national standards. In general terms, legislation means the setting of instructions to the persons responsible for running a government in order to properly discharge each function of government (Kantumoya, 1987: 41). Legislation consists of laws made by Parliament or by people who are given the authority by Parliament to make laws, such as the governor (Western Australia, Parliamentary Counsel’s Office, 2011). Legislation can also define the functions of the providing authority, create the conditions in which it can fulfil those functions, and ensure development (Gardner, 1971: 18).

Legislation can play an important role in setting up proper management of libraries. In order for libraries to perform satisfactorily, they need a steady flow of funding from the relevant authorities. Legislation provides for financial support on a stable and progressive basis and ensures that the authorities in charge of libraries are constituted in such a way that they are responsible for its implementation, and are ultimately answerable to the legislature or representatives of the people (IFLA/UNESCO, 2001; Lungu, 1988). Furthermore, since the library profession is a necessary profession in modern social organizations, a wise piece of legislation will aim at building up the profession, and therefore it is necessary to offer suitable inducements to potential candidates with chances of making a satisfactory career for those who are industrious and intelligent (Singh, 1960). Legislation for national and public library services can thus guide the proper development of libraries and may prevent the burgeoning and spread of unplanned libraries by setting standards for library and information service provision in a country. It can ensure that government officials responsible for the management of national and public libraries are obliged to provide steady financial support. Library legislation is essential for providing a structure of authority, ensuring the smooth working of an organization, and providing a means for stable and progressive financing (Lumpa and Moyo, 2012; Lungu, 1988; Singh, 1960).

Despite the importance of legislation as highlighted above, currently (2015), there is no legislation in Zambia that provides legitimacy to the modus operandi of institutions that perform the functions of public and national libraries. Considering the importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services, Lungu (1988: 22) states that library legislation in Zambia could foster the establishment of a monolithic structure of a nationwide library service that would perform all the functions of a national library service, or an integrated library and information network that would comprise several institutions sharing the functions of a national library service. Library legislation could also promote the creation of a public library service as an end in itself, or the development of library and information services of various kinds as a contribution to the general social and economic development of a nation (Lungu, 1988: 22).

This study investigated the importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services in Zambia. Such services are local gateways to information and knowledge that provide basic conditions for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social group. Therefore, it is imperative that a country should develop a vibrant, well-funded and coordinated national and public library service. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be found useful by the library fraternity, other researchers who are looking into doing similar research, and Library and Information Science students in terms of research methods, in Africa as well as other developing countries similar to Zambia facing the same problem. For the purpose of this study, ‘national library’ refers to a library with information resources usually for reference only maintained out of government funds and serving the nation as a whole, while ‘public library’, on the other hand, refers to a library provided wholly or partly from public funds, the use of which is not restricted to any class of person in the community, but is freely available to all (Harrod, 1984).

Problem statement

Libraries performing the mandate of a national library in Zambia have developed and operated without legal backing, resulting in a situation of poor and uncoordinated provision of national and public library facilities and services in the country (Chiwaura, 1993; Longwe, 1988; Lumpa and Moyo, 2012; Lungu, 1988; Kantumoya, 1987). There is no legislation getting all public libraries to operate under one framework and follow the same guiding principles for their development. This has resulted in a fragmentation of library services as there is no single institution that performs all the functions of a national library service. There is a general belief among librarians and other professionals that the absence of national library service legislation has greatly contributed to the mediocre performance of public libraries in Zambia (Chiwaura, 1993; Kantumoya, 1987; Longwe, 1988; Lumpa and Moyo, 2012; Lungu, 1988).

Purpose and research questions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services. The study was guided by the following research questions:

What is the current status of national and public library services in Zambia?

In the absence of legislation, what guides national and public libraries to perform their mandate?

What are the strengths of advocacy efforts made regarding promulgation of national library service legislation in Zambia?

Literature review

The purpose of this section is to present literature that gives an overview of library legislation in general and the current status of national and public libraries in Zambia.

Overview of library legislation

The history of library legislation in general can be traced through the various public library laws passed by individual countries, following strides taken in creating national public library systems. Krolak (2005) stated that, historically, public libraries have had a strong tradition in Anglo-American societies, and the United Kingdom passed the first library law in 1850. In the United States of America, small free public libraries were founded in New England in the early 19th century under various forms of permissive legislation, and later other states enacted their own legislation on public libraries (Gardner, 1971: 192). Other countries worldwide apparently followed the same trend, where legislation was passed in tandem with the development of national public library systems. Library legislation has taken on new dimensions as well as a pressing significance in the library world of today, so much so that many substantive changes have occurred in library laws over the years (Ladenson, 1970).

The importance of library legislation is backed by a number of milestones in the development of public libraries all over the world. The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto (1994) stresses the importance of library legislation by pointing out that the public library should be supported by specific legislation and should be free of charge under the responsibility of local and national authorities. The 1953 UNESCO seminar on public libraries in developing countries at Ibadan in Nigeria where 18 countries, mostly in West Africa, were represented (Gardner, 1971; UNESCO, 1954: 22), concluded that only legislation can define the functions of the providing authority, create the conditions in which the providing authority may fulfil those functions, ensure national development and empower the appropriate authorities to provide the services and ensure adequate financial support and efficient administration according to a national standard.

In 1955 (Gardner 1971: 18–19), the Public Libraries Section of IFLA published a memorandum on the development of public libraries, of which one section was devoted to legislation and stipulated that each state should adopt laws that should, among other provisions, include expenditure of funds for public library purposes. The memorandum further stated that, as soon as practicable, all appropriate local authorities should be legally obliged to maintain adequate public library services. The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Service Guidelines for Development (2001: 15) state that public libraries should be based on legislation that ensures their continuance and their place in the government structure.

Gardner (1971: 11) conducted a comparative study of library legislation in 14 countries and stated that, although his study was not a complete one, and while it was shown that legislation did not always achieve the effects intended, he also categorically stated that he found no example of a country which had successful, effective and nationwide public library services without a foundation and encouragement in general law, and thus the need for public library law was self-evident.

Nkoma and Njobvu (2008) also showed similar sentiments by insinuating that public library legislation has not presented a panacea for library problems in Africa. However, they also categorically stated that the legality of any enterprise depends on one form of legislation or another, and that legislation of any kind seeks, among other aims, to allocate authority and responsibility in a manner that eliminates clashes of interest, confusion and uncertainty, and restores order, stability and sustainability. Considering these observations, it can be stated here that for a national library service to be successful and effective, the support and backing of appropriate legislation is necessary.

Library legislation is in a constant state of change and evolution, and the periods of greatest productivity are those when new ideas are injected into the social crucible for the production of libraries (Ladenson, 1970). In view of this statement, it is justifiable to state that library laws passed in any country should not remain static, but be subject to amendments whenever the need arises, time and again, in line with the demands or requirements of the clientele and the prevailing socio-economic environment of a particular country.

IFLA (1997) and Lor (1997) mentioned the following three underlying concerns reflected in the various arguments that have been advanced for national library legislation:

Relationship with the state: This is to clarify the aims and functions of the national library vis-à-vis the state. A national library is too important an organ for its aims, functions and survival to be dependent on mere administrative decisions. It should be established by the legislature. If this is done, the legislature can hold the management of the national library accountable for the manner in which it pursues its enacted aim and carries out its statutory functions, while the management of the national library has a firm basis on which it can approach the legislature for the funding it needs to carry out its functions. Thus legislation provides a more stable basis for the library’s relationship with the state, and particularly for an adequate and reliable flow of funding.

Authority: This is to provide a basis for the national library’s relationship with other libraries and institutions. To carry out key national functions that entail, for example, cooperation with other institutions, initiating and coordinating national library and information programmes, encouraging standardization, and carrying out national and international liaison tasks, the national library needs statutory recognition which gives it the necessary authority vis-à-vis other libraries.

Autonomy: This is to gain a greater degree of autonomy for the national library, with particular emphasis on the competence of its management to determine priorities and allocate resources in a flexible way in response to changes taking place in the library’s environment.

It should be noted here that although these concerns were advanced with regard to national libraries, they may equally be applicable to national public library services. Owing to the stipulations of the legislation passed in a particular country on national and public libraries, coordination and standardization of public libraries can be assured and achieved.

IFLA (1997) and Lor (1997: 5) stated that a sound legislative framework for a country’s national library, which gives expression to legislators’ commitment to the institution, would appear to be a prerequisite for the allocation of resources and powers, and such an institution needed to carry out national functions in a reliable and effective way. IFLA/UNESCO (2001) stated that in order to maintain the level of service required to fulfil their functions, public libraries should be supported by legislation.

Lumpa and Moyo (2012) stated that Zambia seriously needed a comprehensive library service provision and infrastructure through a legal framework because the current situation revealed a huge gap in the provision of adequate services to the majority of citizens in the country. Kantumoya (1987) stressed the urgency of the need for public library legislation to create the administrative and financial basis for the development of library services in Zambia which he observed to be inadequate and inappropriate for the information needs of society.

Current status of national and public library facilities and services in Zambia

Currently, there is no designated national library service institution in Zambia. Nevertheless, there are a few fragmented individual institutions that perform, by default, some functions of a national library service as identified by UNESCO. Lungu (1988) stated that the University of Zambia (UNZA) was the de facto National Reference Library for Zambia; the Zambia Library Service (ZLS) served as a national public library service; the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NISIR) was a National Science Library; while the National Archives of Zambia (NAZ) performed legal depository functions. Table 1 shows the institutions that perform some national library functions in Zambia. Individual details about these institutions are given in subsequent sections.

Table 1.

Institutions that perform some national library service functions in Zambia.

No.	Institution	Functions	Legal status
1	NAZ	Legal deposit National bibliography Bibliographic control Collection of materials on Zambia Collection of materials in Zambian languages Collection and maintenance of government documents	Printed Publications Act (CAP 161) No. 44 of 1969
2	NISIR	Documentation of all publications in science and technology Development of a national science and technology information centre for Zambia	None
3	UNZA	Collection of materials on Zambia Collection of materials in Zambian languages Collection and maintenance of government documents National reference services	None
4	ZLS	Promotion of reading and use of information Promotion of literacy Providing consultancy services to individual libraries and information institutions Giving advice on library and information policies National reference services	None

Among these institutions, it is only the NAZ that operates under some form of legal protection covered by the Printed Publications Act (CAP 161) No. 44 of 1969 of the Laws of Zambia which obliges publishers of every book to deliver to the NAZ a copy of the book within two months of publication.

Legal deposit is a statutory provision and an effective means of collecting, accessing, cataloguing and preserving a country’s published heritage in designated libraries to ensure that works published in a country are kept for the use of present and future generations, and provide for research into all aspects of the country’s life and culture (Ngoepe and Makhura, 2008). The Legal Deposit legislation is specifically aimed at preserving a country’s intellectual and cultural heritage, and the national library occupies a very particular position to achieve this as it is empowered to collect, preserve and make accessible the nation’s documentary heritage (Ritchie, 2002). Hence, it is imperative for legislation to be passed in Zambia, as in any other country, that would clearly designate a national library service institution to perform acquisition and preservation functions, including legal deposit.

The development of public library services in Zambia began long ago, before the country attained independence in 1964. In urban areas, public libraries began as subscription libraries for Europeans and social welfare libraries for the African employees of mines and other large companies (Msadabwe, 2008). These libraries were gradually taken over by local authorities in the towns where they existed. For rural areas, the colonial administration established a welfare fund, part of which was used to establish the Northern Rhodesia¹ Publications Bureau (NRPB) which was given responsibility for promoting African authorship and encouraging Africans to read by distributing books (Kantumoya, 1987). As there were very few literate Africans at that time, the NRPB failed to realize its initial goal of commercializing the book distribution, but, instead, ended up spearheading library development in Northern Rhodesia (Asplun as cited in Kantumoya, 1987).

By 1959 the NRPB had introduced a system of book boxes throughout the country which were distributed to hospitals, schools and community centres from which the white settlers and the few literate Africans could borrow books. The greatest contribution to the development of public library services was made by the Ford Foundation of United States of America which gave a grant of US$43,000 for the establishment of the Northern Rhodesia Library Service (NRLS) in 1962, after successful negotiations by the Director of the NRPB (Kantumoya, 1987; Zambia Ministry of Education, 2012). The NRLS was established as a department in the Ministry of African Education, and immediately took on the role of the NRPB regarding the distribution of books. The NRLS changed its name to ZLS soon after Zambia gained independence on 24 October 1964.

Local government authorities run a few public libraries in some cities and towns along the line of rail which delineates urban from rural areas. However, there is no active collaboration or coordination between the ZLS and local government authorities (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2012). Some foreign organizations and missions also run public libraries, mainly located in cities or towns where they operate. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as KEPA Zambia and Lubuto Project also provide public library services to the communities where they operate.

The ZLS is the only organization in the country that provides library services both to urban and rural areas, offering both reference and lending services to the public. The ZLS acquires materials mainly from donors and supplies some to other institutions (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014).Therefore, it is envisaged that once legislation on national and public library services is enacted in Zambia, government, through the ZLS, would establish a national library and also coordinate public library services. This implies that other institutions currently performing some functions of a national library would cease carrying out such functions and the necessary amendments could be effected to the NAZ Printed Publications Act of 1969 (CAP 161) No. 44 of the Laws of Zambia.

This is supported by the Zambia Library and Information Service (ZLIS) Bill 1998, submitted to the Cabinet whose objectives were as follows:

to constitute the Zambia Library and Information Service and provide for its functions;

to establish the Council of the Zambia Library and Information Service and provide for its functions;

to provide for the designation of a library as a constituent library;

to provide for the registration of libraries;

to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

According to the 1998 draft Bill, the ZLIS would be referred to as the Service and would replace the current ZLS, which would be referred to as the former Service soon after the enactment of this legislation. The primary function of the Service would be to provide library services by collecting, organising and disseminating materials to all sectors of the community. The 1998 ZLIS Bill also stipulated the establishment of a national library and its functions; registration of constituent and affiliate libraries and their functions.

Zambia Library Service

Like its predecessor, the NRLS, ZLS operates under the Ministry of Education (MoE). The Terms of Reference of the NRLS were as follows (Kantumoya 1987; Zambia Ministry of Education, 2012):

to establish and run a public library network throughout the country with particular emphasis on rural areas;

to run school library services in the country;

to give professional advice to the establishment and running of government ministries and departmental libraries;

to give assistance to municipal, township and rural councils in library operations and eventually take over the running of these libraries;

to assist professionally as far as practically possible in the training of librarians.

The ZLS is a section in the department of Teacher Education and Specialized Services (TESS) (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014). The Head of the Zambia Library Service is the Chief Librarian who reports to the Chief Education Officer, TESS, who in turn reports to the Director, TESS. The Director, TESS reports to the Permanent Secretary of the MoE. The Chief Librarian is deputized by the Principal Librarian who superintends Senior Librarians at headquarters heading different units as well as heading provincial libraries. Reporting to the Senior Librarians are Librarians.

The minimum qualification for the positions of Chief Librarian to Librarian is a first university degree in Library and Information Science. After Librarians in the hierarchy, are Senior Library Officers who must possess a diploma in Library and Information Science. The lowest level of qualifications for professionals at the ZLS is a certificate in Library and Information Science. District libraries can be headed by either a diploma holder or certificate holder. However, it should be noted here that, despite these prescribed qualifications, the ZLS has not been able to recruit qualified staff in some provincial and district libraries.

Currently, the objectives of ZLS are as follows (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014):

to provide timely and relevant information in various formats, including ICTs;

to facilitate the establishment and coordination of libraries in school, college and teacher resource centres in Zambia;

to establish and manage a public library network in Zambia;

to assist other organizations or institutions in providing library and information services to the public in Zambia;

to offer training in basic library skills;

to conduct workshops and seminars to keep abreast of the latest developments in librarianship.

The original intention of the ZLS was to have a provincial library in each province and a district library in each district (Longwe, 1988). Provincial and district libraries are branches of the ZLS at province and district levels. Longwe (1988) stated that the ZLS had plans to build more district libraries when funds become available and that efforts were being made to establish district libraries in conjunction with local authorities who already had established buildings which could be used to house public libraries.

However, out of the 10 provinces, the ZLS has only six provincial libraries in Chipata in the Eastern Province, Choma in the Southern Province, Kasama in the Northern Province, Mansa in the Luapula Province, Mongu in the Western Province and Solwezi in the North-western Province. There are no provincial libraries in the Muchinga, Central, Copperbelt and Lusaka Provinces. Out of the more than 73 districts, there are only 19 district libraries in existence, and these are in the Central, Eastern, Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, North-western, Southern and Western Provinces (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014).

The provincial libraries were purpose built but no meaningful expansions or renovations have been made to these libraries due to poor funding. The district libraries are housed in either council buildings or school classrooms. In addition to provincial and district libraries, the ZLS also has library centres. These are extension and outreach units at institutions which are run by people who want to read and are loaned a collection of up to 250 books and other materials (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014).

The University of Zambia Library

The University of Zambia (UNZA) came into legal existence in 1965 after the President of the Republic of Zambia gave his assent to Act No. 66 of 1965 (University of Zambia, 2014). UNZA is a multi-disciplinary university, comprising different faculties which include Schools of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Law, Engineering, Medicine, Agricultural Sciences, Mines and Veterinary Sciences. In its first academic year, UNZA enrolled 312 students. The number rose to 1000 students in 1970, and 10 years later, in 1980, the enrolment was 4000 students. Although it was envisaged that eventually the total enrolment would level off at about 8000 students, the current number of students stands at 11500 (University of Zambia, 2014).

The UNZA Library was established to provide an environment in which the university could conduct its core functions of teaching and research. The UNZA Library is committed to supporting the teaching, research and outreach efforts of the university and to serving the community through its collections, preservation efforts and access to information in all its various formats. Apart from purchasing books and other print materials, the UNZA Library also introduced electronic resources through which users can access thousands of scholarly databases. Currently, the UNZA Library is the de facto National Reference Library for Zambia. As the biggest library in the country in 1967, the then President of the Republic, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, referred to the UNZA Library as the ‘People’s Library’ (Lungu, 1988: 23), implying that people all over the country were free to use it for reference purposes. In spite of this recognition, no legislation was passed to identify it as the National Reference Library, thus it remained without legal deposit authority and received no special funding for national library collection development.

National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research

The NISIR was first established as the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) in 1967 (National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, 2014). The NISIR is a premier research institute in Zambia, regionally and internationally. It is a government institution set up by the Science and Technology Act No. 26 of 1997 through statutory instrument No. 73 of 1998. This was after the repeal of the NCSR Act, Cap 236 of the Laws of Zambia.

Although the NISIR is funded by the Government, it is also funded by multilateral and bilateral cooperating partners for specific projects of mutual interest. Among its functions is to conduct and promote scientific, technological and industrial research in Zambia, and disseminate research findings. The NISIR Documentation and Scientific Information Centre is a unit of the institute which was established to systematically organize all the documents generated by the institute, as well as other scientific publications for easy retrieval and dissemination. The NISIR Documentation and Scientific Information Centre is the de facto National Science Library and Documentation Centre partly because it is a department within an institution already identified as ‘national’ and partly because its members of staff have constantly identified it with other national and international organizations involved in scientific information documentation and research (Lungu, 1988: 23). The NISIR Documentation and Scientific Information Centre also operates without legal backing.

National Archives of Zambia

The National Archives of Zambia, which is the national legal depository, is currently the only institution in Zambia which performs the legal deposit function of a national library service with legal backing under the Printed Publications Act (CAP 161) of the Laws of Zambia. This Act stipulates that:

the publisher of every book published in Zambia shall, within two months of the publication, deliver at his/her own expense a copy of the book to the Director (of the NAZ) at Lusaka, who shall give a written receipt for every copy received by him/her.

The Act further states that:

no person shall print or publish, or cause to be printed or published, any newspaper until there has been registered at the office of the Director at Lusaka the full and correct title thereof and the full and correct names and places of abode of every person who is or is intended to be the proprietor, editor, printer or publisher of such newspaper, and the description of the premises where the same is to be published.

Apart from the legal deposit function, this Act does not mention any other function of a national library service.

Local authorities

Libraries under local authorities, usually referred to as council libraries, are public libraries that are wholly funded by local government authorities through city and municipal councils. Their services are targeted at the general public living within those local authority areas, and like libraries under the ZLS, local authority libraries are poorly funded (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2014). Except for a few along the line of rail in towns such as Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Kabwe and Livingstone, most local authorities have stopped providing library services. The buildings that used to house libraries under these authorities have either been converted into offices while a few have been adopted as district libraries by the ZLS.

Efforts to enact National Library Service legislation in Zambia

Efforts to enact legislation on national and public library services in Zambia are not new and may be traced back to the era of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, an amalgamation of three British territories, namely Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland which lasted from 1953 to 1963. The aim of the Federation whose headquarters were in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, was that the three territories should gain from each other, strengthen themselves and balance their development efforts by pooling resources through political and economic association (Rosberg, 1956). The background to the amalgamation of the different parts of Rhodesia and Nyasaland formed the basis for the respective governments to start making adjustments to the constitutions and make them inclusive of the three territories. These territories are now independent countries called Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, respectively.

The Federation may have had plans to formulate a national library service with an Act of Parliament for the development of libraries in the three territories. This can be evidenced by recommendations made by DH Varley (1951) for a territorial library service in the different areas of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Varley was Chief Librarian of the South African Library at Cape Town who was invited by the Central African branch of the South African Library Association to conduct a survey of library facilities in the different parts of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1951,

Varley (1951) came up with recommendations which included the following:

that a national library system should be established for the three territories;

that a National Libraries Board with powers formulated by legislation be set up. The main function of the board would be to advise on the development of library facilities for all races in the three territories.

However, following the disbanding of the Federation, it is clear that the individual territories proceeded separately to develop their national library services and foster the enactment of their legislation. Malawi received its independence in 1964 and in 1967 they enacted the Act of Parliament No. 31, which established the Malawi National Library Service (MNLS) as a major piece of legislation directly affecting libraries and information centres in Malawi. The law ensures the development and management of public libraries (Phiri, 2012). Zimbabwe, which received its independence in 1980, enacted national library and documentation service legislation in 1985 (National Library and Documentation Service Act, 1985).

Zambia, on the other hand, received its independence in 1964, but up to now (2015) has not enacted any legislation to cater for libraries at national level. However, a number of efforts to enact national library service legislation were previously made by the library fraternity. For instance, the Zambia Library Association (ZLA), now the Library and Information Association of Zambia (LIAZ) submitted library legislation Bills in 1976 and 1977 that were both rejected by the Government (Kantumoya, 1987: 66–67). In both instances, the Government advanced the same reasons for the rejection, stating that the Bill sought to transform the ZLS into a parastatal body for which the Government was not ready then as it did not have funds available for that. Although emphasis for the rejection of the Bill was put on a lack of funds, the library community thought that this was not a good reason. Instead, they felt that the Bill was not sufficiently understood by the Government (Lungu, 1988: 21–31).

In 1998, another Bill, the Zambia Library and Information Service (ZLIS) Bill, was submitted to the Cabinet but it was noted that the Bill lacked the backing of a policy document. Hence, the MoE tasked ZLS with preparing a national library policy. With the assistance of a consultant from the Department of Library Studies at the University of Zambia, the draft National Library Policy was formulated and by the end of the year 2000, it was submitted to the Ministry. Despite this effort by the ZLS, the MoE has hitherto not given a feedback on action taken or progress made since receiving the document.

Research methodology

This study used a quantitative research approach through the administration of questionnaires and interview schedules. The population for the study consisted of libraries and other institutions providing national and public library services in Zambia. Units of analysis identified under this population were public libraries run by the ZLS and local government authorities spread over the country: UNZA Library, the NISIR Documentation and Scientific Information and Documentation Centre, and the NAZ whose common characteristics were that these institutions were either providing public library services or performing national library functions. Institutions included in this population were those that were operational at the time data were collected. Although the data were collected from the individuals working in these institutions, LIAZ, ZALICO and government officials, the focus was on the provision of national and public library services in Zambia; hence, all the units of analysis were the institutions themselves, and not the individuals. At the time of the cross-sectional survey in July 2014, the ZLS had 25 functional public libraries in six provincial towns and 19 districts, therefore, all these libraries were included in the study. Two council libraries in Kabwe and Lusaka were conveniently included as independent units.

Data were collected through document analysis, questionnaire administration and interview schedules. Available documents, including annual reports, institutional minutes and old files on past studies on legislation of national and public library services were referred to, and statistics of use and patronage in ZLS libraries, as well as two council libraries in Lusaka and Kabwe, were consulted. Other relevant records and grey materials such as in-house reports, files and memorandums from libraries, LIAZ, ZALICO and government were also consulted.

Findings and discussions

To assess the views of people on the importance of library legislation, respondents were asked to state whether they were aware of any policies or legislation in place for national and public library services in Zambia; whether national library service legislation was necessary; whether legislation could increase government funding to public libraries, increase donor support, enhance coordination and integration of public library services, and help establish or identify an institution that would perform all the functions of a national library service. Respondents were also asked to state whether they were aware of any lobbying and advocacy efforts aimed at pushing for the enactment of library legislation in Zambia, and what option was best for the establishment of a national library in Zambia. The purpose of this section is to present analyses of the data collected from the field and give the findings of the study. The findings are presented in line with the research questions raised above.

Current status of national and public library services in Zambia

To determine the current status and availability of public library facilities, services and collections in Zambia, respondents were asked to indicate what public library was most prominent in their area, what services were available in the public libraries in their area, what resources were available and whether public libraries in their area provided adequate and up-to-date resources. On the question of which library was most prominent in their area, 58% (24) of the respondents indicated the ZLS, 29% (12) indicated the council library, 10% (4) indicated the foreign mission and only 2% (1) indicated an NGO. With regard to the availability of library services in public libraries, Table 2 reveals that there were reference services in all the public libraries in the areas where the respondents lived. For lending services, 95% (39) indicated that these services were available. Indexing and abstracting services had 63% (26) of the respondents stating their availability, while current awareness services (CAS) had 56% (23). Selective dissemination of information (SDI) had only 22% (9) of the respondents stating their availability, inter-library loan services had 15% (6) and ICT services had 27% (11), while special services for the blind had 15% (6).

Table 2.

Library services.

Library services	Yes	No
Reference services	41(100%)	0
Lending services	39(95%)	2(5%)
Indexing and abstracting	26(63%)	15(37%)
Current awareness services	23(56%)	18(44%)
Selective dissemination of information	9(22%)	32(78%)
Inter-library loan services	6(15%)	35(85%)
ICT services such as online databases, email, CD-ROM search	11(27%)	30(73%)
Special services for the blind such as braille	6(15%)	35(85%)

The data as shown in Table 3 reveal that print resources were predominant in public libraries in Zambia, as compared to electronic ones. Of the respondents, 90% (37) and 93% (38), respectively, reported that printed books and periodicals were available in public libraries in their areas. It was reported by 15% (6) that electronic resources were available and 17% (7) reported that electronic books, periodicals and software were available.

Table 3.

Library resources.

Library resources	Yes	No
Printed books/monographs	37(90%)	4(10%)
Electronic book/monographs	6(15%)	35(85%)
Print periodicals	38(93%)	3(7%)
Electronic periodicals	6(15%)	35(85%)
Software	7(17%)	34(83%)

Furthermore, Figure 1 shows that the majority 37% (15) and 46% (19), respectively disagreed and strongly disagreed that public libraries in their areas contained up-to-date information resources, while the majority 39% (16) and 36% (15), respectively disagreed and strongly disagreed that the libraries provided adequate resources.

Figure 1.

Size and quality of library resources.

Views on library legislation and policies in Zambia

Figure 2 shows respondents’ views on the importance of library legislation. It is clear from Figure 2 that 66% (27) of the respondents stated that they strongly agreed that legislation could increase government funding to public libraries in Zambia, 32% (13) agreed and only 2% (1) strongly disagreed. A total of 44% (18) of the respondents strongly agreed that there could be more donor support to public libraries, 46% (19) agreed, while 7% (3) and only 2% (1) disagreed and strongly disagreed, respectively. As to whether library legislation could enhance coordination and integration of public library services in Zambia, 61% (25) strongly agreed, 37% (15) agreed and only 2% (1) disagreed. Those who stated that library legislation could help establish a national library were 71% (29) stating strongly agree, 22% (9) stating agree, 2% (1) stating strongly disagree, while 5% (2) were not sure. On the question of whether poor library service delivery in Zambia could be blamed on a lack of library legislation, 54% (22) strongly agreed, 39% (16) agreed and only 7% (3) disagreed.

Figure 2.

Importance of library legislation.

Respondents were also asked why legislation was necessary for national and public library services in Zambia. Among the reasons given were the following:

- All libraries should be guided by law.

- Legislation would ensure accountability and improvement of library services.

- Legislation would help coordination and integration of libraries.

- Legislation would increase government support and lay a foundation for the establishment of more libraries countrywide.

- Legislation would increase government funding for libraries.

Advocacy and lobbying efforts for national library service legislation

In response to whether they were aware of any lobbying and advocacy efforts to push for the enactment of library legislation, Table 4 shows that 41% (17) of the respondents stated that they were aware of it, while 59% (24) stated that they were not aware of it.

Table 4.

Advocacy and lobbying efforts for national library service legislation.

Advocacy and lobbying efforts required	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Yes	17	41	41	41
No	24	59	59	100.0
Total	41	100.0	100.0

With regard to what respondents thought was the best option for establishing a national library in Zambia, Figure 3 shows that 73% (30) indicated that the best option was to construct a new building, while 27% (11) indicated that the best option was to designate an existing institution. Responses from the interviews also expressed that the best option would be to construct a new building. The national library would be a government institution under the Zambia Library and Information Service in the MoE.

Figure 3.

Option for establishment of a national library.

Library legislation vis-à-vis provision of library services in Zambia

As indicated previously, library legislation is considered essential for providing a structure of authority to ensure the smooth working of an organization and provide a means for stable and progressive financing. The findings of this study as portrayed above clearly support this statement. Therefore, legislation for national and public library services in Zambia can guide the proper development of libraries by setting standards for library and information service provision. Library legislation can oblige government officials responsible for the management of national and public library services to provide steady financial support. Consequently, an environment for the establishment of more libraries countrywide can be created, thereby ensuring accountability and improvement of library services in Zambia.

Interpretation and discussions of findings

Looking at the survey results pertaining to library legislation, it is abundantly clear that there is no policy or legislation on national and public library services in Zambia, as stated by the majority of the respondents. For those who mentioned the Local Government Act, they referred to Chapter 281 of the Laws of Zambia, Section 61, which stipulates that councils may discharge all or any of the functions set out in the Second Schedule. Libraries are mentioned under Function 36, which states the following: ‘To establish and maintain art galleries, libraries, museum and film services’. Clearly, this piece of legislation is not mandatory and not specific to library development. On the necessity of library legislation, it is gratifying to note that almost all the respondents stated that it was necessary to have legislation on national and public library services in Zambia.

Reasons given for the necessity of library legislation as mentioned above conform to the following UNESCO (1997) statement on national library service legislation:

National library service legislation clarifies the aims and functions of a national library and enables it to approach the legislature for funding to carry out its functions; provides the basis for the national library’s relationships with other libraries and institutions; gives it the necessary authority to carry out key national functions such as cooperation and resource sharing; and obliges government to fulfil its responsibilities especially on allocation of resources and determination of priorities. The significance of any piece of legislation to the existence and functioning of an organization may thus be unquestionable.

Library legislation was gauged as being very important since the majority of the respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that it could increase funding to government libraries, increase donor support for libraries, enhance coordination and integration of public library services, and help establish or identify an institution that would perform all functions of a national library. Regarding the state of library services in Zambia, respondents blamed the evident poor state on a lack of legislation.

On awareness of advocacy and lobbying, the fact that those who stated that they were not aware of any advocacy and lobbying efforts were in the majority with 59% (24) of the respondents, as opposed to 41% (17), who stated that they were aware. This portrays the fact that there is much that has to be done by the library community if their efforts for pushing for the enactment of library legislation are to bear fruit. All respondents to the questionnaire were employees currently working in libraries, and therefore the logical expectation could be that the majority, if not all, should be abreast of the developments in their profession. Some government officials interviewed mentioned, as already stated, that the general public was not involved and sensitized to be part of the stakeholders in advocating and lobbying for library legislation, but if library employees themselves are not aware of such efforts, it may be a mere wish to bring the public aboard.

With regard to the establishment of a national library in Zambia, the data reveal that the feeling is that it is necessary to build a new national library in Zambia rather than designating an already existing institution. A national library is important because it is responsible for the acquisition and preservation of the complete collection of publications of a country, national collection management and availability of publications through inter-lending systems, and for providing professional and technological leadership and consultancy services to individual libraries and institutions (IFLA, 1997; Lor, 1997). Hence, it fosters the coordination and integration of library and information services and activities of the country. It is therefore gratifying that the majority of the respondents indicated that it was necessary to establish a national library in Zambia.

Conclusion and recommendations

Library facilities such as buildings, space within the buildings, shelves and seating arrangement for the users were found to be not satisfactory in most public libraries in Zambia; and electronic facilities such as computers, printers, Internet, projectors, scanners, binding machines, photographic equipment, copying machines and CD-ROM were lacking. Although common services like reference, lending and CAS services were reported to have been offered, other equally important library services, including SDI, inter-library loan, ICT services and special services for the blind were not being offered in most public libraries.

Library collections were found to be inadequate and not up to date. However, the members of staff in most public libraries were found to be professionally qualified and reasonably experienced. From the foregoing, it is concluded that the quality of library facilities, services and collections in most public libraries in Zambia is generally below par. This confirms what other authors and researchers have stated previously – that the performance of public libraries in Zambia is mediocre (Chiwaura, 1993; Kantumoya, 1988; Longwe, 1988; Lumpa and Moyo, 2012).

For the buildings, space, shelves and seating arrangement to be not satisfactory in most public libraries, it is concluded that these facilities have either not been renovated, expanded and adapted to accommodate more users and new facilities since their construction many years ago, or that a number of the libraries are still housed in unplanned and not purpose-built buildings such as school classrooms converted into libraries.

It was made clear during the study that there is neither specific legislation nor policies relating to national and public library services in Zambia. The Draft National Library Policy is not yet approved, therefore it is not yet in force. Some form of legislation governing some library activities identified were the Printed Publications Act (CAP 161) No. 44 of 1969 which mandates the NAZ to perform legal depository functions of a national library; and the Local Government Act, Chapter 281, Section 61, which allows Councils to establish and maintain art galleries, libraries, museums and film services. However, other than stipulating legal depository functions and the compilation of the national bibliography, the Printed Publications Act does not stipulate any other functions of a national library. The Local Government Act, on the other hand, is not specific to libraries but rather permissive legislation under the Act leaves it to the discretion of individual Councils to decide whether to provide library services or not. It is thus concluded here that there is need for specific legislation on national and public library services in Zambia.

The results of the study revealed that most librarians were not aware of any advocacy and lobbying efforts for legislation on national and public libraries in Zambia. As librarians, it would be anticipated that these professionals would at all times be aware of the developments in their profession. Hence, the fact that most respondents were not aware of current advocacy and lobbying efforts being made by the library fraternity is justification for this study to conclude that advocacy and lobbying efforts on library legislation have not been strong enough. From the literature reviewed and the results of the study, it was revealed that although there are some institutions which perform some functions of a national library, there is no single institution designated as a national library and performing all its functions. As most respondents indicated, this study also concludes that it is necessary to establish a national library in Zambia. A national library would foster coordination and integration of libraries in the country.

In view of this, the library community should seriously work on collaboration with other stakeholders to push for legislation on national and public library services. For instance, they can involve members of the public and other interest groups such as NGOs, local clubs and others. The lack of seriousness in pushing for the passing of library legislation, which may be blamed on government, may to some extent also be blamed on the library community as well. It is recommended that LIAZ, ZALICO and ZLS should embark on a vigorous campaign to sensitize all librarians and other stakeholders, and raise their awareness of what is currently being done to push for legislation on national and public library services in Zambia. The general public should be sensitized as well and brought aboard to be part of the movement calling for the legislation on national and public library services. It is also recommended that a new national library building should be constructed rather than designating an existing institution.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes

Author biographies

Paul Zulu is an Assistant Librarian at the Mulungushi University in Zambia. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Information Science from the University of South Africa in 2015. He also has a Master’s degree from the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre, now known as the Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, New Delhi, India. Prior to working in his current position, he worked for the National Library of Namibia from 2005 to 2009, and Zambia Library Services in various positions including Librarian, Provincial Librarian, Senior Librarian, Acting Principal librarian and ultimately Chief librarian between 1995 and 2005.

Mpho Ngoepe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of South Africa (Unisa). Prior to his current position at Unisa, Prof Ngoepe worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund, Auditor-General South Africa and the National Archives of South Africa. Prof Ngoepe serves on the national committee of the South African Society of Archivists (2009–2017) and the board of Eastern and Southern Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (2009–2017) as the editor of the journals. He is the co-director of the African Team for the multi-national, interdisciplinary research project exploring issues concerning digital records called the International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES Trust) (2013–2018).

Nampombe Saurombe is a Lecturer in the Department of Information Science at the University of South Africa. She holds a PhD in Information Science from the University of South Africa. Prior to her current position, Dr Saurombe worked at the provincial libraries of North West province in South Africa, as well as the Human Science Research Council as a librarian. Dr Saurombe has published widely in the Library and Information Science field.

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