The emergence of online resource centres is taking a toll on traditional libraries which now have to struggle to replace their hard-copy texts with soft content.

Kisumu National Library Service, which has over 30 million online resources including electronic books, journals, videos and documentaries; is way ahead of its Kenyan peers.

The facility, which serves 15 million people in Nyanza and Western Kenya, was the first in Africa to win the coveted Public Library Innovation Award last year. The award honours leading institutions in the use of technology in communication.

“We are trying to demystify the notion that public libraries contain old books and lack creativity. Kisumu is now competing with developed countries in terms of access and sharing of information online,” said Moses Imbayi, the Library Coordinator.

Mr Imbayi said that a lot of content is found online and that going electronic will attract readers, especially the young and tech-savvy.

The library’s daily visits had dropped from an average of 400 per day to 500 as the youth opted to use smartphones and cybercafes to read and research.

The library partnered with the US government, Book Aid International Group, Electronic Information for Libraries and other organisations to upgrade technology in library.

“So far, we have 35 tablets, 17 computers, 25 e-books which carry 2,000 books each, and one electronic granary,” said Mr Imbayi.

An e-grannary is an external hard-drive with a capacity of two terabytes. It is accessed through computers in he library. One can access research papers, topics on the curriculum, and motivational materials, among others.

The e-grannary cost Sh204,000. Library users can also borrow e-books and other materials in soft copy and read or listen to them on their laptops and mobile phones.

Mr Imbayi said that online information is cheap and that most children’s books can be downloaded for as little as Sh20. Use of technology, he said, has restored the number of library users to 500 per day — mainly young people and children.

Going online has also done away with cases of returning books late, losses and thefts. One can borrow up to four books which disappear from the borrower’s device after two weeks.

Book Aid International has also introduced tablets at the library. The gadgets have a special software which denies children access to pornographic sites on the Internet.

The software, Kid’s Place, also guides users to educative content. “We have introduced tablets with special software that familiarises children to online information. They can learn to spell words, creative mathematics, science and other entertaining things without straying to other sites,” said Mr Imbayi.