|
[[File:Lamu Fort Library.jpg|thumb|Lamu Fort Library]]
[[File:Lamu Old Town.jpg|thumb|Lamu Island]]
'''Lamu Fort Library''' is a branch of the [[National Museums of Kenya]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Museums of Kenya – Where Heritage Lives on |url=https://museums.or.ke/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Library was initiated in 1978 as a reference library for museum's staff and researchers. In 1986 it was relocated to a more specious room at the Lamu Fort Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lamu Museum – National Museums of Kenya |url=https://museums.or.ke/lamu-museum/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Lamu Fort">{{Citation |title=Lamu Fort |date=2023-09-26 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lamu_Fort&oldid=1177238159 |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en}}</ref>
== History of the library ==
[[File:Lamu Fort.jpg|thumb|Lamu Fort]]
The library is a department of the Lamu Fort Museum.<ref name="Lamu Fort"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lamu Fort Museum Library |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q68653306 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}</ref> The fort was formally a prison; it was then given to National Museum of Kenya in 1985. The [[Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency]] (S.I.D.A) assisted the National Museums of Kenya to convert the fort into a museum. In 1986 the library was officially reopened at the fort museum by Mr. K. Nordenskiöld, a former director of S.I.D.A on Tuesday 22 April 1986.<ref name="Lamu Fort"/>
== Classification of library collection ==
The library uses the [[Dewey Decimal Classification|Dewey Decimal Classification system]] to classify its collection.<ref>{{Citation |title=Dewey Decimal Classificationcitation needed|date=2024-02-04January |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dewey_Decimal_Classification&oldid=1203369403 |access-date=2024-03-07 |language=en2025}}</ref> Lamu Fort Library is still using a [[Browne Issue System|Browne Charging system]] to lend books. The system uses cards to lend and retrieve books that were borrowed, the cards are arranged in a tray by date of return.<ref>{{Citation |title=Browne Issue Systemcitation needed|date=2023-08-25January |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Browne_Issue_System&oldid=1172176227 |access-date=2024-03-07 |language=en2025}}</ref> The library has about 10,000 items classified under Dewey Decimal Classification System and the catalogue uses the [[Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR, AACR2, AACR2R) |url=https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2018/12/anglo-american-cataloguing-rules-aacr.html |access-date=2024-03-07}}</ref>
== Branch of the Lamu Fort Library ==
== Lamu Fort Library Sections ==
The Librarian <ref>{{Cite web |title=Khadija Issa Twahir |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114353621 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}</ref> had subdivided the library into Research, Archive, E-library and Maktaba Sanaa section, for easy retrieval of information.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
=== Research section ===
The research section holds theses, projects, historical books, periodicals, bibliographies, and dissertations. The collection covers Lamu history, archaeology, anthropology and poetry. It includes many rare publications of popular Swahili writers such as: Professor Sheikh Nabhany,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jumbe |first=Ishaq |title=Kenya's Kiswahili guru Professor Ahmed Sheikh Nabhani is dead |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001230457/kenya-s-kiswahili-guru-professor-ahmed-sheikh-nabhani-is-dead |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-05 |title=Sun sets on Ahmed Nabhany, one of Kenya's best Kiswahili literary and cultural icons |url=https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/weekend/sun-sets-on-ahmed-nabhany-one-of-kenya-s-best-kiswahili-literary-and-cultural-icons-368144 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Nation |language=en}}</ref> Lamu Conservation books by Usam Ghaidan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Usam Ghaidan - Academia.edu |url=https://independent.academia.edu/UsamGhaidan |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=independent.academia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=GHAIDAN |first=Usam |url=https://www.amazon.com/Lamu-Study-Conservation-Usam-Ghaidan/dp/B001N3UPXK |title=Lamu: A study in conservation |date=1976-01-01 |publisher=East African Literature Bureau |edition=Prima edizione |language=English}}</ref> and Quest for the past : An historical guide to the Lamu Archipelago by Chrysee MacCasler Perry Martin and Esmond Bradley Martine,<ref>{{Citation |title=Esmond Bradley Martincitation needed|date=2023-07-15January |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esmond_Bradley_Martin&oldid=1165518423 |access-date=2024-03-06 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Chryssee MacCasler Perry |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115037476 |title=Quest for the past : an historical guide to the Lamu archipelago |last2=Martin |first2=Esmond Bradley |date=1973-01-01 |language=English2025}}</ref> Francesco Siravo and Ann Pulver, new research collections "in this fragile World"<ref>{{Citation |last=Mau |first=Ustadh Mahmoud |title=In This Fragile World: Swahili Poetry of Commitment by Ustadh Mahmoud Mau |date=2023-02-06 |work=In This Fragile World |url=https://brill.com/edcollbook-oa/title/62192 |access-date=2024-03-15 |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-52572-6}}</ref> a book edited by Clarissa Vierke and Annachiara Raia and many more.
=== Archive section ===
The library holds a large and diverse range of archival materials such as old photographs from Lamu, 19th and 20th century manuscripts, old newspapers, magazines and periodicals, as well as old currencies, and files. A part of the archival collection is digital. It was obtained through a [[digitization]] project that was hosted by Lamu Fort Library. The UMADA project digitized roughly two thousand manuscripts and audio cassettes from the personal library of Lamu poet and [[imam]] Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulkadir, locally known as Ustadh Mau.<ref>{{Citation |title=Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulkadircitation needed|date=2023-11-07January |work=Wikipedia, kamusi elezo huru |url=https://sw.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahmoud_Ahmed_Abdulkadir&oldid=1306742 |access-date=2024-03-06 |language=sw2025}}</ref> It was managed and supervised by Annachiara Raia from the [[African Studies Centre Leiden]] in Netherlands<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ustadh Mau Digital Archive (UMADA) Project Launch {{!}} African Studies Centre Leiden |url=https://www.ascleiden.nl/news/ustadh-mau-digital-archive-umada-project-launch |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.ascleiden.nl}}</ref> The digitization was funded by [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA’s]] Modern Endangered Archives Program that is supported by ARCADIA.<ref>{{Citation |title=UCLA Library |date=2024-01-08 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UCLA_Library&oldid=1194333144 |access-date=2024-03-06 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ustadh Mau Digital Archive (UMADA). Maktaba ya kidijitali ya Ustadh Mau {{!}} African Studies Centre Leiden |url=https://www.ascleiden.nl/research/projects/ustadh-mau-digital-archive-umada-maktaba-ya-kidijitali-ya-ustadh-mau |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.ascleiden.nl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='No metadata, no future'. Kicking off Ustadh Mau Digital Archive (UMADA) {{!}} African Studies Centre Leiden |url=https://www.ascleiden.nl/news/no-metadata-no-future-kicking-ustadh-mau-digital-archive-umada |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.ascleiden.nl}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ustadh Mau Digital Archive (UMADA) - UCLA Library Digital Collections |url=https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/z1n648z7 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=digital.library.ucla.edu}}</ref> The digitized poems and sermons can be freely accessed via the UCLA Library Digital Collections.<ref name=":0" /> Also the introduction of the MprinT project<ref name="MprinT@EAST_AFRICA">{{Cite web |title=MprinT@EAST_AFRICA |url=https://www.uib.no/en/ahkr/143764/mprinteastafrica |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=University of Bergen |language=en}}</ref> was done in Lamu Fort Library with team of museum's staff and volunteers on the mapping and digitization of the [[Islamic manuscripts]] in the [[Lamu Archipelago]], the MprinT project is managed by Professor Anne Katrine Bang from [[University of Bergen|Bergen University]] in Norway of department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anne Katrine Bang |url=https://www.uib.no/en/persons/Anne.Katrine.Bang |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=University of Bergen |language=en}}</ref> National Museum's staff and volunteers conducted a first mapping of Islamic manuscripts in [[Pate Island]], Lamu including onsite cataloguing by the best expert, order and system ensured by Lamu Fort Library staff and thoroughly documented by the right expertise.<ref name="MprinT@EAST_AFRICA"/>
=== E-library section ===
| 