Implications of Legislation on the Provision of National and Public Library Services in Zambia

Abstract

Currently (2017), there is no single institution designated as a national library in Zambia. Although national library services are provided by some institutions, there is no legislation to support them. Efforts to foster the enactment of library legislation since 1976 have not resulted into this law being passed. This study measured the correlation between the lack of legislation and the provision of national library services in Zambia. The study comprised a cross-sectional survey to collect quantitative data through questionnaires administered to public library staff, interviews with senior government officials, executive members of the Library and Information Association of Zambia and the Zambia Library Consortium, and a document analysis on text from grey literature. The results of the survey revealed that enactment of library legislation in Zambia could help establish a national library and increase government funding to existing library services and facilities. It is recommended that the Library and Information Association of Zambia, the Zambia Library Consortium, and the Zambia Library Service relentlessly collaborate to push for the immediate enactment of the library bill.