Public Libraries Key in Building Economies

Kapsabet,

Thursday, November 2, 2023

KNA by Geoffrey Satia

Business community and public institutions in Nandi County have been advised to instill reading culture among the locals as a way of discovering new knowledge for development.

Josphine Otwori, Nandi County Government Director Library Services suggest that both private and public institutions play a critical role in cultivating a reading environment among the Nandi residents.

Otwori noted that the business community, state and non-state bodies should come out and put resources in defined public libraries as a sure way of building informed society.

According to the Director, managing 21st century challenges and building resilient future communities will be realized if only the current generation develops a high ‘appetite’ for knowledge through reading books.

She said that this information era calls for parents, governments and the private sector to bring up children who are thirsty for books and recognize the power of technology in driving economies.

Otwori regretted that some parents, schools and even institutions in Nandi aren’t aware of the work of a public library.

She said the importance of a public library will be exploited fully if all key stakeholders decide to talk about books, buy books and support libraries even at village level.

The Director however asked parents and guardians to guide their children on the use of digital gadgets.

“I am aware that without proper guidance some social media sites can encourage laziness and non-productive generation,” Otwori told KNA during an exclusive interview at her office in Kapsabet town.

She proposed that modern built public libraries can be a better place where school going children and college students can be guided by social media platforms and how they can be used as income generating sites.

Otwori said that modern libraries like Eliud Kipchoge Library in Chesumei can be connected with e-books and how to make use of social media sites to generate income among the jobless youths.

She advised parents and guardians to cultivate reading tradition among their children as early as possible through buying books while dwelling on how to exploit online reading material in their homes.

Otwori expressed confidence that with now devolved functions of library services to the County Governments much will be done to step up reading culture among the locals.

“With the completion of the state of the art Eliud Kipchoge Library, Nandi residents are expected to embrace the use of the library in empowering the young generation for the future prosperity of this County,” Otwori said.

Courtesy; KNA