Afr. J. Lib & Inf. Sc. Vo1.21, No.2 (2011) 159-168
This study was undertaken in Dodoma
Municipal, Tanzania in order 10 assess the
development and status of school library
services under the Secondary Education
Development Plan (SEDP). The study involved
44 secondary schools, 186 teachers, 44 heads
of schools, 16 school librarians, one Regional
Education Officer, and one Regional Librarian.
Data were collected through a survey method
using a questionnaire that has both closed and
open-ended items, as well as through interviews
and observation. The study found that only 16
(36%) out of 44 secondary schools had libraries,
while during SEDP implementation period, no
public school and only one private school established a library out of the 27 schools that
did not have libraries at the beginning plan
period. In the schools with libraries, only 11
(69%) of them had separate buildings for the
library, while only seven (44%) had trained
librarians. The study concluded that, despite
SEDp, school library services were generally poor
as most schools lacked libraries, or lacked
information resources and staff. It is recommended
that in order to improve the quality of school
library services, the Tanzania government should
enforce its regulation requiring every registered
school to have a library.
Sokoine University of Agriculture