Institutional change in the Ugandan Library sector: the establishment of the National Library of Uganda

Abstract

This article is part of a larger research project focusing on institutional change in the Ugandan library sector from the 1960s up until today, with special focus on the development of the National Library of Uganda. The article is based primarily on official publications such as different legislation passed by the Ugandan Parliament on library issues and on documentation reporting on various initiatives and projects aiming at building a functioning library and information infrastructure in Uganda during the last four decades. Findings show that initiatives have been regularly neglected at the political levels, both nationally and locally. The founding of the National Library of Uganda has affected the Ugandan library system in a major way and the country is now better equipped to face some of the challenges created by the requirements of the global information society and by high levels of illiteracy, especially in the rural areas. The article pinpoints some of these challenges and suggests further action on both professional and political levels.