Information provisition to people with visual impairment at the national central library and Uhuru mchanganyiko primary school library Dar es Salaam.

This study investigated information provision to people with visual impairment in Tanzania, particularly at the Tanzania Library Service Board National Central Library (briefly as National Central Library or abbreviated as TLSBNCL) and Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School Library in Dar es Salaam. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The selection of the sample libraries was purposive. Data for the study was collected through questionnaires, face to face in-depth interviews, and participant observation. Analysis of the data of the study employed descriptive and quantitative techniques. Additionally, observation and interviews with directors, teachers as well as users with visual impairment were conducted. Findings revealed that these libraries are not in the position to provide the best information services to people with visual impairment, as follows: With regard to Library and Information services Available for People with Visual Impairment, the study revealed that National Central Library and Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School Library have different types of information services for visual impaired people, namely Braille Material, talking books (recorded materials) and book loan (lending services). However, there are still significant shortcomings in achieving equality of access. So measures should be taken to modernize and improve the access of the services to visually impaired people. With regard to the attitudes of Library Staff towards People with Visual Impairment, it was found that library staff have bad attitude towards people with visual impairment; like discrimination and poor concern on serving visual impaired people. Training is vital especially as discrimination is often the result of lack of awareness and poor informed altitude. The third objective was to find out challenges that people with visual impairment encounter in seeking library and information services. It was revealed that there are a number of challenges namely inappropriate formats, inadequate skilled staff, lack of appropriate facilities, distance from home to the library, lack of enough fund in order to improve library service for visual impaired people, negative attitude of library staff, lack of clear government policy, lack of awareness about library and information services for visual impaired people. Other challenges were lack of enough brailed materials and lack of clear policy about the availability of library and information services for visual impaired people in Tanzania. The solution is to change the challenges into opportunities for visually impaired people.