All KCA University students and staff have a legitimate access to library facilities and services. For access to restricted online materials and for borrowing privileges, all users should contact the library information desk for accounts activation.

Since the mark of identity when transacting with the library is members University ID Card, Loss of such cards should be reported immediately to the librarian who will take appropriate measures to ensure that the lost card is not illegally used to access library services.

It is prohibited to use another patron’s identity card to borrow library materials. Each patron is responsible for any fines incurred as a result of overdue or damaged items borrowed using their accounts.

The information materials in the library are organized systematically from ground floor to the 2nd floor. The library has an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) that helps in tracing the location of the items. The catalogue is located on the ground floor of the library just next to the photocopying machine. Login to OPAC » or go to KCA University website, click library and then OPAC. Type either the title, author or keyword on the search button and a list of items that match your query will be displayed. Click on your preferred choice and access the call number e.g. HF5635.W8633 2008 and location of the item. For more assistance, contact the librarian at the circulation desk
NB: OPAC is accessible using any computer terminal, smart phones or Tablets that are connected to internet.

The return date for any item borrowed is stamped on the date due slip placed on the inner part of the front cover of the item.
You can also login to your OPAC account.Your username is your staff /registration number and the password is the national ID. Once logged in, you will view a list of items on loan to you as well as details such as number of renewals remaining, whether they are due etc.
Contacting library circulation desk by physical visit, e-mail or Telephone call request will also resolve this problem?

Short loan collections are loaned for a limited period of time; currently 7 days for students and 2 weeks for staff. Long loans are collections that are loaned for a longer period of time; currently 2 weeks for students and 1 month for staff.
Short loan collection also includes Reserved items accessible for a few hours and restricted to use within the library.

In such a case, please bring both your library card and the borrowed book(s) to the circulation desk. Always check you records to see that details of what you borrowed matches with what is captured in your user’s account by reading through system generated information sent to your email or logging in your library account.

If you are a new student/staff you are required to provide your credentials to the library for New user’s account activation. The user’s account that will be activated will enable you to borrow items from the library. To access this account, go to university library website, select OPAC http://41.89.49.249/ and then log-in using your student/staff number as user name and national ID as your password. Some of the electronic resources (Books, Journals, case studies etc.) are not accessible through OPAC but through off campus/electronic resources link available on the university library website. You also need a user’s account for accessing these resources is you are a new student/staff.

When in such a situation, it advisable to contact library information desk for assistance for there are various reasons that can contribute to such a disconnect.

These are collections that are only used within the library. They include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and directories among others. These materials are important starting point with valuable background information when doing research.

These are magazines, journals, newspapers, or annual publications, which are published frequently at regular intervals. The Library subscribes to a large number of periodicals, both in print form and electronic. Electronic resources are accessed through: https://elibrarykca.remotexs.co/user/login

The number of items that can be borrowed and the loan period varies from one borrower category to another. This variance is subject to review when deemed necessary by the librarian. The current category is shown in the circulation procedures
Note: Loans are made on the basis that the item may be recalled if urgently required by another library member.

Reservation is done from the issue desk as well as online. Online reservations can only be done using students/staff OPAC account. . For renewals at the issue desk, one must come with the borrowed item and the due date will be extended. Access to OPAC is also through Smartphone. For more details on Renewal and reservations, read library circulation guidelines

For equity in use of library resources all materials that are borrowed from the library should be returned on or before the due date. Failure to do so attracts penalties normally determined by university library management. Each borrowed item attract a cash fine every day after due date For more details on fines, read library circulation guidelines

The Library subscribes to a number of online databases to support research activities of the library users. The content of these databases covers all the subject fields taught at the University. Access to these resources requires user’s account created on making request to the library. Electronic resources access link is: https://elibrarykca.remotexs.co/user/login
NB: These e-resources (e-books, e-journals, case studies, conference proceedings, etc.) are accessible regardless of the location as long as you have internet access. Please get your login credentials from the library by physically presenting yourself or by placing your request through library@kcau.ac.ke or rmacharia@kcau.ac.ke.

OPAC can be freely searched off-campus. E-resources subscribed by the Library can also be accessed off campus as indicated above. These e-resources (e-books and e-journals) are accessible regardless the location you are as long as you have internet access. Please get your login credentials from the librarian physically or via e-mail library@kcau.ac.ke or rmacharia@kcau.ac.ke.

Computers are available in the Library which University staff and students are welcomed to use for searching library catalogues, online databases and the Internet, using e-mail among others. Help with finding information and using the Library’s online databases can be provided by Library staff. In most cases, the Library’s e-resources are accessed without a username and password.

If there is no obvious reason or explanation why there is a problem, it is likely that you have visited a perfectly legitimate site and may have a cookie placed in your browser that is causing a problem accessing other sites. Some cookies also interfere with off-campus authentication.

The solution is to clear the cookies and cache and browsing history from your browser and restart the browser. Some browsers also allow you to perform a total refresh of the browser if simply clearing the cache does not work for you. Wikipedia includes a useful article that gives basic instructions on how to clear your cache etc. in different browsers: Cache clearing and disabling.

Some e-book platforms will require you to download a browser plug-in or e-reader software if you want to download an entire e-book onto your PC, laptop or mobile device. It is advised that you have installed Digital Rights Management software such as Adobe Reader and Adobe Digital Editions on your PC or laptop, as both of these can be required to download e-books offered as PDFs. If you want to download entire e-Publication format or PDF e-books to your iPad, tablet or smart phone then you will need to install an e-reader app such as Bluefire Reader (available for Android, iOS and Windows devices.

Students and staff of the University and library readers are reminded that the use of online content including databases, e-journals, e-books, theses, and images is subject to copyright law and the publishers’ license terms which cover downloading, printing, and re-use of content. It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure that their actions do not breach copyright or the license agreements. Failure to do so could result in legal action or the publisher withdrawing the University’s access to a resource.

Terms and conditions of use are often incorporated into the resources themselves. Copies of licenses for individual digital resources or collections are available on request.