Lamu Fort Library

Lamu Fort Library is a branch of the National Museums of Kenya. 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.

History of the Library
The library is a department of the Lamu Fort Museum. 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.

Classification of Library Collection
The library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system to classify its collection. Lamu Fort Library is still using a 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. The library has about 10,000 items classified under Dewey Decimal Classification System and the catalogue uses the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules.

Branch of the Lamu Fort Library
The Lamu Fort Library have donated over 2000 books to build up a library in Siyu Fort. The library was started in 2020 with the assistance of the Lamu Fort Librarian. The Library collection consists of donations from the Lamu Fort Library, the British Council, Macmillan, the National Museum of Kenya Resources Center and individual donors. The aim of setting up a library in Siyu is to boost the reading culture of Siyu Community and also to give the Siyu community access to information materials to students and Siyu community. The Fort is Located between Siyu Primary School and a hospital. The library collection is classified using the Dewey Decimal Classification and catalogued using Anglo American Cataloguing rules.

Lamu Fort Library Sections
The Librarian had subdivided the library into Research, Archive, E-library and Maktaba Sanaa section, for easy retrieval of information.

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, Lamu Conservation books by Usam Ghaidan,  and Quest for the past : An historical guide to the Lamu Archipelago by Chrysee MacCasler Perry Martin and Esmond Bradley Martine,  Francesco Siravo and Ann Pulver, new research collections "in this fragile World" 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. It was managed and supervised by Annachiara Raia from the African Studies Centre Leiden in Netherlands The digitization was funded by UCLA’s Modern Endangered Archives Program that is supported by ARCADIA. The digitized poems and sermons can be freely accessed via the UCLA Library Digital Collections. Also the introduction of the MprinT project 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 Bergen University in Norway of department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion. 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.

E-library section
The E-library section is the digital collection, comprising materials such as digital books from Z-Library, and the digital collection that were acquired out of the digitalization work that was done at the library archive section. The E-library section was started with the help of Ms. Shama Gaziza. A friend of the library, Ms. Shama donated computers and a smart TV to start up the E-library section. The section has over one thousand digital English books of varies subjects including Kenya School Syllabus books.

Maktaba ya Sanaa Section
The Lamu Maktaba ya Sanaa section is the Library of Art section that was started in 2018. The section has collection of art books, zines, periodicals, art catalogues, magazines and many more. The section was made intentional to provide reference materials for the local and international artists. Because of many art festivals that is organized in Lamu county the Lamu Fort Librarian and Ms. Karin Voogd find the need to create the art section to assist local and international artists with art references Materials. The first launching of the Maktaba ya sanaa project was done in Lamu during the Lamu Art festival by Hertbert in 2016, the second launch was done at Africa Studies center Library in Leiden University in Netherlands by Ms. Karin Voogd in 2017

Library Services

 * Archive Services
 * E-library Services
 * Reading and Research Services
 * Maktaba ya Sanaa Services
 * Health Information

Awards
Lamu Fort Library is a member of Kenya Library Association and has participated in Maktaba Awards Competition since 2010. In 2011 Lamu Fort Library was awarded 2nd runner up in Public Library Categories and 3rd runner up in Community Library in 2018.

Friends of the Library

 * 1) Africa Studies Centre Leiden University Library, Netherlands
 * 2) Bergen University Norway
 * 3) Professor Anne Katrina Bang
 * 4) Wikimedia Kaduna User group Nigeria
 * 5) Ms. Shama Gaziza from USA
 * 6) Ms. Karin Voogd Rotterdam, Netherlands
 * 7) AgaKhan Foundation, Lamu
 * 8) Agakhan University Hospital Library Nairobi
 * 9) Ustadh Mau
 * 10) Assistant Professor Annachiara Raia
 * 11) Book Bunk Trust
 * 12) Ms. Faith Mwanyolo Wikimedia Foundation Kenya

Other National Museums of Kenya Libraries

 * National Museum of Kenya Resource Centre
 * Malindi Web Library
 * Coastal Resource Centre Library
 * Botanic Library
 * Zoological Library