"The idea that libraries should pay attention to the bottom in their activities is a relatively recent development, observes Mr Fidelis Katonga, Strathmore University librarian in a paper under the title "The psychopathology of uneconomics in the management of libraries and information centres in Kenya."

Mr Katonga presented the paper at the Kenya Library association (KLA) conference held on 30th and 31st May at the Nairobi Safari Club. The theme of the conference was: "Democratizing Libraries and information centres for good governance in Kenya."

In the paper, Mr Katonga observes: "library managers have always complained about insufficient resources such as funds, staff and books. The objective was to have bigger libraries, with many books and many staff. Little if any thought was given as to where the resources for this would come from.

"This mindset originated in the fact that one hardly finds libraries existing on their own. Libraries are always part of a larger institution such as universities, governmental and non-governmental departments, churches, etc. It is these institutions that provide the funding for the libraries. As such, making profits or breaking even is not usually in the minds of librarians."

Owing to financial strains in recent times, the concept that libraries consume and deploy resources that can be optimized has come to the realization of librarians and institutional managers.

The paper traces the causes of uneconomic tendency in information services, problems associated with modern information management, the changing trends in library management, and the response of the managers to these trends. It then recommends ways in which information managers can economically and productively run their information units.

One of the recommendations the paper makes is the establishment of independent information-based enterprises. The other related recommendation is for institutions to run libraries as cost centers. It also recommends that libraries develop yardsticks for measuring and costing of library services.

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