By embracing technologies and innovations, such as creating online newspapers and sending headlines by SMS, Kenyan newspapers have increased their sales.

Pamela Howard-Reguindin, field director of the Library of Congress Office in Nairobi, told the recent World Library and Information Congress in Durban that the Daily Nation and Standard, Kenya's main newspapers papers, have “realised they must adopt new technology or fall into oblivion as has happened with some of their competitors."

Although Internet access in Kenya is still limited, the two dailies and a Swahili paper, Taifa Leo, have launched online editions to boost sales of both electronic and print versions. These papers also send text teasers and headlines to SMS lists and e-mail addresses.

"Newspaper editors report that sales of online and hardcopy issues are growing," Howard-Reguindin is quoted as saying by an article posted on AllAfrica.com.

"The Daily Nation is working on a new website that will include text messages via mobile phones, online news/chat rooms, RSS, and specialised services such as sports scores, stock prices, and horoscopes,” she said. At the same time, The Standard is getting about three million hits a day for their Web site, "most from outside Kenya, but a steadily increasing number from within the country as Internet access penetrates more Kenyan businesses, schools and households."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Library of Congress office in Nairobi is racing against time to digitize the 29 sub-Saharan newspapers that are crumbling to dust in archives across the continent.

"Hundreds, if not thousands, of newspaper titles from some 29 sub-Saharan countries have already been microfilmed and dozens more are being filmed on an annual basis by the library and its office in New Delhi, India,” said Ruth Thomas, a noted Nairobi librarian.

Despite the time-consuming work, newspaper titles and issues continue to pile up in a backlog that grows each day. And in addition to this problem, Thomas said not enough people have access to online news, which could be remedied through a partnership of publishers and libraries.

"One possible role of Kenyan librarians would be to encourage the newspaper managers to offer Internet access to full content of the articles free to Kenyan schools and universities," Thomas said. “(This) could be a role for any national African library association. Many journal publishers in the U.S. and Europe are now allowing online users in developing countries to access full content of journal articles without charge ... If this open access could be offered to Kenya newspaper readers, the information in the daily press could strengthen efforts in governance and democratisation, literacy and responsible civic leadership."