Building a Responsive Medical Library Collection Through Book Donations and Local Acquisitions at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

An effective medical library collection is important for research and educational support. The MUHAS library in Tanzania has a two-dimensional approach to collection development that involves purchasing books locally and book donations. The purpose of the study was to determine the successfulness of this approach in establishing a responsive medical library and the role of technical services and KOHA integration in effective accessibility of the library resources. A total of 135 faculty members and librarians participated in this research, and data were collected through document analysis, surveys, and interviews. Quantitative information was statistically analyzed using SPSS, while qualitative data were coded by themes using ATLAS.ti. The findings indicated that although donations of books are appreciated, there are concerns about the relevancy and currency of the donated materials, which do not meet short-term curricular needs. On the other hand, local acquisitions align better with departmental needs and have a better opportunity for the library to be responsive. Moreover, the KOHA library system provided improved access to library resources but exposed cataloging and metadata issues. The study concludes that the MUHAS library is an emerging library with a responsive service to teaching, learning, and research, but there are gaps in new emerging areas of study. The study recommends that a stronger faculty role in selecting library resources, suitable metadata management, and an increase in investment to support local acquisition of library resources are necessary to support the rapidly changing academic needs of the university community.