libraries powering development map
DESCRIPTION
Libraries around the world are driving development efforts in agriculture, economic opportunity, health, and education.TRANSCRIPT
Improving
Agriculture
The Panguipulli Public Library is enabling the exchange of information among southern Chilean farmers, agricultural workers, and experts through a mobile ICT laboratory. The library facilitates trainings for farmers on how to access, record, and share agricultural information across a variety of channels, improving farming methods, decision making and
produce marketing. To date, the library has trained 200 farmers not reached by other information services.
Economic
Opportunity
The Northern Regional Library’s Internet Access and Training Program links ICT with leadership training for young men and women from Tamale and surrounding villages where
unemployment and school drop-out rates are high. During the program’s first year, the library trained 190 young people in computer use, life skills, time management, and effective communication.
Improving
Education
Out-of-school children have few places to turn in Zambia for help or development. The Lubuto Library Project is bringing new educational opportunities, including computer skills, literacy, personal mentoring, and self expression through the
creative-arts to marginalized youth. The libraries have connected 50,000 youth per year who cannot afford or are excluded from traditional
educational opportunities. In
partnership with the Zambia Library Service, Lubuto is planning 8 more libraries to extend their services to each of Zambia’s provinces.
Health
Information
The Laxmi Narayan Community Library and Resource Center is
creating partnerships with local NGOs to ensure the community of Lamjung has access to critical resources. When it became clear a few years ago that the incidence of HIV/AIDS was on the rise in this community, the library partnered with a local NGO to host and provide HIV counseling to more than 1,200 community members.
Improving
Education
Librarians at A. and M. Miskiniai Public Library in Utena noticed many children coming to the library to play computer games during school hours. Concerned that children were missing their lessons, the librarians teamed up with teachers and computer specialists to develop an innovative computer learning game linked to the school curriculum. The game, now played by over 1,000 students, builds in
collaboration between the children and their teachers. The Ministry of
Education Science is now exploring expanding the game to more districts.
Civic
Participation
The Romanian government recently developed an online system for rural farmers to apply for agricultural
support funding. But how would farmers know how to access and navigate the online application?
In 2011, over 400 public
libraries stepped up and helped
approximately 17,000 farmers
apply for and receive more than €15m in farm subsidies.
Health
Information
The Kisumu and Eldorat branch libraries became recognized as vital for health information provision after e-health corners with internet access were established. Librarians have trained over 1,600 health workers, students and members of the public to use the e-health corners for accessing medical resources. The libraries serve as a gathering place for public
discussions with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation on topics
including HIV/AIDS, personal hygiene, malaria and TB.
Civic
Participation
Managing a library helped leaders and community members of San Juan Planes develop skills in working together to address common needs. Through the library, the community identified local issues, including a lack of clean water, and learned how to set up and maintain a reverse osmosis water filtration system that now
provides reliable potable water to the community for the first time.
Civic Participation
In the early 2000s, government officials, community leaders, and residents of Medellin came together to build a new future for their city.
Leaders recognized that new
technology provided a way to increase government transparency of
government, develop a competitive business environment, and improve education. Five public library parks centered in previously neglected neighborhoods now provide new, dignified public spaces for the poor to learn, communicate, socialize, and recreate.
GREY REPRESENTS:
Insufficient data on the number of public libraries
NOTE:
Public library count data was sourced from the 2010 and 2007 IFLA World Reports, the 2009 TASCHA Public
Access Landscape Study Summary, media reports, and publicly accessible statistics from national ministries.
Economic
Opportunity
In Nghe An province, Vietnam, a
middle-aged mother of three kids and small business entrepreneur, travels to the village Cultural Post Office and communal library several times per week to use the internet to search for and identify new recipes for her
restaurant. Through public access at her library, she is able to find the
information she needs to improve her family’s life.