History: Africa: Virginia Tech Creates Digital Repository For Kenya Law Archive

From Virginia Tech University:

Brett Shadle, associate professor of history at Virginia Tech, has partnered with Kenya Law and the Virginia Tech Discovery Commons to offer a freely accessible digital archive of the Kenya Gazette.
The Kenya Gazette is the official record of all laws, ordinances, and appointments made by the colonial and independent governments of Kenya.
The historic database currently covers the years from 1977 to 1989, and will eventually include all Kenya Gazettes published since the 1890s. Topics covered include the abolishment of slavery, the alienation of African lands for white settlers, and the prohibition of the anti-colonial Mau Mau movement.
The database is Virginia Tech’s contribution to the movement to provide free access to legal information in Kenya, pioneered by Kenya Law.
“Until now, the primary archive of Kenya’s printed law documents was located in the capital, and access to the Gazettes was restricted for anyone who couldn’t make a trip to Nairobi, or who wanted to download a complete digital copy for personal use,” said Gary Worley, director of the Discovery Commons online repository. “The new online repository will be very helpful, even allowing access via mobile devices.”
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“The Gazettes are critical documents in Kenya’s history,” said Shadle. “Academics, court officials, government researchers, and members of the general public can trace changes in the law, and see how successive governments have worked to shape Kenyan society, economy, and politics. I have already received thanks from several scholars for helping to make these documents more easily accessible.”

Direct to Kenya Gazette Digital Archive
Read the Complete Announcement
See Also: American Civil War Newspapers (Another Special Collection From Virginia Tech’s Discovery Commons)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Digital Collections, Digital Preservation, Open Access