A B ST R AC TThis article investigates the information needs and seeking habits of lawyers in England in the United Kingdom. Speci¢cally, it seeks to ascertain the type of information lawyers require to meet their needs; the reasons prompting them to seek information; to establish from where lawyers obtain information; and to determine the factors that in£uence their information needs and seeking habits. This study was carried out as part of a wider research project for a doctorate programme. Data collection was carried out by semi-structured interviews. The participants comprised lawyers, essentially solicitors, in London and the Midlands.It was found that lawyers' information needs are greatly in£uenced by the nature of the work they do. It was noted that experience has a considerable in£uence on their needs: it is generally assumed that experienced lawyers do not require as much information support as newly quali¢ed lawyers.The lawyers'needs for information in turn in£uences their information seeking habits. It was noted that the card catalogue as an information retrieval tool is fast disappearing from law libraries in the UK. Its ultimate future is likely to be determined by the needs of small ¢rms which are presently unable to a¡ord automated systems.The study con¢rms the validity of the ¢ndings of earlier studies conducted in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. It appears that very little has changed since these studies were published. The legal profession continues to rely heavily on printed media. Electronic media is used only as a last resort. Practising lawyers continue to rely on their junior colleagues for legal research. Many are apathetic to legal research. Despite the fact that law is a dynamic subject, the legal discipline remains a conservative profession.

This article analyses the growth of libraries in Kenya from the early colonial period to the present. It is noted that early libraries were associated with the development of the new colony. The use of libraries at that time was restricted to European and Asian communities. The information needs of the Africans were not considered until the late 1940s. With independence, libraries became accessible to all races. Although the post-independence era has witnessed marked development of all categories of libraries, growth in the 1990s appear to h.ave been hampered by diminished funding from the Treasury.

This article opens with an examination of the information system in Kenya and goes on to highlight the lack of formal co‐operative agreements in the country's library system. An obstacle to resource sharing is the desire of many libraries to maintain the independence of their own collections. The resulting duplication can be seen as a waste of already‐scarce resources. The costs of interlending also militate against co‐operation, which is made even more difficult by physical problems such as distance and the scarcity of reprographic facilities. The demise of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute's co‐operative scheme is regretted, and the author suggests that consideration needs to be given to a new scheme to enable Kenyan libraries to maximize their coverage by sharing their resources.

Attempts to examine in detail the subject of book aid and its role in overcoming the problems associated with scarcity of information materials in developing countries. Highlights the pros and cons of book donation. Concludes that book donation can be beneficial in this part of the world only if national clearing houses are set up to co‐ordinate the in‐and‐out flow of these information materials.

Reports the results of a case study undertaken as part of a doctoral research programme carried out to investigate the information needs of, and provision to, the legal community in Kenya. The case study, is based on data collected from a one‐man law firm in Kisumu, Kenya. Data were collected by interviews and observation. Although essentially a case study, the results reflect the kind of experiences and problems that lawyers in Kenya, working in single law firms, experience in accessing legal information. Concludes that the only practicable way lawyers can maximise the availability of legal information in the country is by setting up their own law library on a co‐operative basis. Reliance on court libraries is futile as the libraries are already over‐stretched by the needs of the Bench.