Information Retrieval Research and Africana Section

This section houses the Postgraduate Library, the Africana/Indigenous collection, Reference collection, Special collection, United Nations publications, Archives section, Journals & Periodicals, Thesis & Dissertations, and the Newspapers section.

The section also houses materials in specialized fields where users may need to conduct specialized research such as HIV & AIDS, Climate, Agriculture, Forestry, Finance, Law, Education, Health, Business, Economics & Government Publications among others.

The Services offered in this section include:

  • Information Literacy: enabling users to identify the information they need, locate it, evaluate it, and use it effectively
  • User Education/orientations: teaching users how to use library services effectively
  • Reference and Information Services: training/guiding users on reference and information inquiries and directing users to where they can retrieve the information they require
  • Research Guidance: Guiding users on research topics and information retrieval
  • Distribution of daily newspapers: Both in print and electronic formats
  • Provision of E-resources: Access to electronic books and journals

The section is responsible for:

  • Postgraduate Library: Provides computers and private spaces for postgraduate students to conduct their private/individual reading and studying
  • Africana/Indigenous Collection: Houses materials such as books, artifacts and other collectors’ items connected with Africa, relating to African history and reflecting the geographical, historical and cultural development of Africa
  • Reference Section: Houses materials used to find facts or provide broad overview of topics such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, study guides, kamusi, atlases, almanacs, bibles, world books etc
  • Special Collection: Houses materials that require specialized security and user services
  • United Nations Publications: Receives and houses publications from United Nations bodies such as UNEP, UNESCO, ILO, WHO, FAO, UNDP among others
  • Journals & Periodicals: Consists of multidisciplinary scholarly journals and periodicals
  • Theses & Dissertations: Comprises of complete theses, dissertations and research projects for reference purposes
  • Archives Section: Houses bound daily newspapers from previous years since the library’s inception
  • Newspapers Section: Provides patrons with daily print newspapers as well as reading spaces to enjoy these newspapers. Newspapers are also availed in electronic format to all patrons
  • Electronic Resources: Access to electronic resources such as books and journals is provided by this section. Computers are strategically placed to allow users access these resources. This section also trains users on how to utilize these resources