LIBRARY ( Benjamin William Mkapa Learning Resource Centre )
Welcome to the Ruaha Catholic University Library, also known as the Benjamin William Mkapa Learning Resource Centre. The Library is the Heart of the Academic Standing of the University. It is the reservoir from which academic Staff, students – undergraduate and post graduate – tap the knowledge and wisdom that nourishes their aspirations and ambitions as scholars ready for service to the community.
The Library is well stocked with resources (both print and electronic) to cater for all the academic programmes offered in the University. The major areas of focus being Law, Education, Health, Environmental Studies, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory, Management and Business Sciences, Computer Sciences and Library and Information Studies. These fall under faculties namely the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Directorates and the Institute of Allied Health Sciences.
Library staff are adequately trained to deliver services in response to the high demand from the University Community and also in compliance with present day technological advancements in Library and Information Science.
About Us
The Library owes its origins to the establishment of the Ruaha University College (RUCO) as a constituent of the St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT - Mwanza) in 2005.
The University became a fully-fledged University- Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU) in November 2014,
The University’s existence came about following the Tanzania Episcopal Conference’ (TEC) acquisition of the facilities (buildings and property) owned by what was then, the Dr. Amon Nsekela Bankers’ Academy. Among the facilities was the library, rich in resources in Finance, Banking, Accounting, Management, Insurance and the related disciplines by then.
Services
Loans for home reading
Reference and Enquiry Services
Short loans from the Reserve Collection
Reservations
Photocopy services
Internet Services
Library Membership
The library is open to users as shown below:
University Students and the teaching and administrative staff.
Visiting researchers and other non-RUCU Community members on temporary membership with approval from the DVCAA.
Occasional visitors from the cooperating institutions or affiliated to the University upon approval of requests by the Deputy Vice Chancellor - Academic Affairs.
THE COLLECTIONS
The General Collection
This comprises of titles in all curricular subjects which are available in multiple copies to allow access to as many users as possible, either for loan for home reading or for reading in the library.
The Reference collection
The Reference collection provides the first point of entry for tricky topics, definitions and summary background information on topics of interest. This section houses reference sources which include language dictionaries and also subject dictionaries (those providing definitions specific to subject areas like Law, Commerce and Information Technology among others). A major section of the reference collection is comprised of encyclopedias which are either general or subject specific such as an Encyclopedia of Medicine or Environmental Sciences. There are also journals in various subjects included in this section..
The Special collection
This is a collection holding key and heavily used texts in the different key subjects, which are meant to be used in the library and are not for loans for home reading. This is meant to ensure that all the basic texts are available in the library for any interested reader at any one time.
Newspapers
The Library subscribes to some local dailies and weeklies for use within the library. There is also a rich archive of bound volumes of newspapers (dailies and weeklies) going as far back as the early 1990s.
e-Resources & Periodicals
This collection comprises of numerous electronic journals, articles, books and databases which are constantly improved upon and can even be accessed remotely enabled by the Library Management System KOHA. Also available are collections of various electronic materials in CD-ROMs in all subjects.
The following are some of the available e-resources
E-books
E-Journals
CDs
High Court Acts, cases and reports
Research4Life databases – HINARI, AGORA, OARE, ARDI, GOALI
Recommended sites Internet sites
Opening Hours
The Library is open as follows:
Monday – Friday: 08:30 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturdays: 08:30 AM – 04:00 PM
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
