By Eric Sindabi
In this era of fast evolving digital technology that is a threat to conventional education and reading culture, school librarians and teacher librarians have been challenged to become champions of reading culture and critical thinking as a way of enhancing academic performance as well as career development standards among learners.
These remarks were made by Dr. Maurice Udoto, the Deputy Registrar (Academic Affairs) when he officially opened a School/Teacher Librarian’s Training held at the University Library on Thursday 21 May 2026. The one-day training was organised by the Library Community Outreach Committee and brought together school /teacher librarians in Njoro Sub County. The theme of the training was: “Inculcating reading culture”. The event is part of university’s overall community outreach goals to surrounding communities.
The Deputy Academic Registrar noted that reading culture plays a significant role in the overall academic success of learners and in preparing students for future careers. He challenged school/teacher librarians to become ambassadors of reading culture in schools through innovative library services and learner-centered programmes, observing that the rapid growth of digital technology and new media platforms had become a major challenge to critical reading and insightful learning habits among young people. He noted that excessive dependence on short-form informal digital content risked weakening learners’ concentration, analytical thinking, and reading habits.
“Libraries will still remain very relevant and important learning centres despite the ever-evolving new media technology because libraries play a major role in inculcating critical reading and thinking among learners,” said the Deputy Registrar.
He urged librarians to embrace innovative approaches that could help restore traditional reading cultures among Kenyans while at the same time integrating modern information technologies effectively in library services.
Dr.Udoto further commended the University Library for organising the outreach initiative, noting that university libraries play an important role in promoting community information literacy through outreach programmes and partnerships with schools. “Empowering school librarians with modern library management and information literacy skills will help strengthen learning institutions and improve students’ academic experiences through better access to knowledge resources.”
During the workshop, participants were taken through the fundamentals of library infrastructure and management, including planning a library building, budgeting, book acquisition processes and the factors considered when selecting reading materials. The training also covered the organization of reading materials through accessioning, classification and cataloguing, as well as storage, preservation and conservation of library resources. Participants were further guided on access and dissemination of information resources aimed at improving efficiency in school library services and enhancing learners’ access to knowledge. The librarians were also taken through how to establish book clubs as a way of developing reading culture among learners.
The training further emphasised the importance of integrating Information Communication Technology (ICT) in libraries and using online reading materials, noting that digital resources improve access to information and learning materials as well as enhancing digital literacy among learners. A recurring quote during the event was; “a school without a library is like a desert without an oasis”.
