 |
| Early lessons from Mumuni Library, New Collection Management Systems, and Back to School! |
|
 |
|
Newsletter #47 - August 2014
Click here for PDF version |
|
 |
|
| Early lessons from Mumuni Library |
|
While the third Lubuto Library will not officially open until November, we’ve finished construction of the reading room so books could be on the shelves for our collection researchers to get started. And just like the opening weeks of our first two libraries, children are coming to the library in droves, pulling books off the shelves and engaging in storytime with enthusiasm. Since our libraries are always greeted with such activity, for our future libraries we’ve decided to open the reading room and introduce the collection a month before introducing other programs and technology.
Mumuni's massive influx of visitors has also given our staff and research team some great insights about our first library in a rural area. Importantly, a much higher percentage of the visitors are small children brought in by their mothers or older siblings. To ensure these young visitors are served by their library, Lubuto is working with the Nabukuyu community to develop early childhood programming based on Tonga traditions and stories. Lubuto's approach to development of all of its programs and systems engages stakeholders in this way to ensure relevance, ownership and sustainability.
|
|
|
|
|
| New Collection Management Systems |
|
| Lubuto Library collections don’t circulate, which means our research team has had to come up with many creative approaches to evaluating interest in each book in the collection. Typically, Elizabeth and Lisa have tracked how many times each book needs to be re-shelved each day: while books don’t circulate outside the library, they do circulate on and off the shelves frequently within the library. Because manual tracking is too cumbersome, it was time to introduce an automated system of bar-coding and scanning each title. Thanks to the quick work of our staff in Zambia to get the scanner itself, and Lisa grabbing a bar code printer right before hopping on the plane to Lusaka, we can now automate both inventory and use of our collections. Once again, Lubuto has adapted modern library systems to one that is sustainable in our unique environment.
|
|
|
|
|
| Back to School! |
|
| As we reported last month, Thomas Mukonde will be heading off to University of Illinois this month to begin his Master’s in Library Science, thanks to the invaluable contributions of many of you to A Leader for African Libraries. Before saying a “see you later” to the staff in Zambia, Thomas represented Lubuto at the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL) in Lilongwe, Malawi. Since his departure, our Program Manager Imanga Kayama has taken over management of our All Children Reading grant, along with the rest the programs she has been overseeing. She has also picked up blogging from the libraries where Thomas left off. Check out her latest post on Zefe and Nolasco, the boys who stole school! |
|
|
|
|
| Please join us as a sustaining supporter |
|
As a Sustaining Supporter, you will receive an email with each donation to keep you informed of Lubuto's latest developments, of which you are a key supporter. And as you know, this support gives thousands of children, who may otherwise never see the pages of a book, the opportunity to learn, communicate and grow in beautiful, safe and welcoming libraries, making a real and lasting difference in their lives. A modest donation charged to your credit card each month or quarter helps Lubuto tremendously.
Click here to make a difference every month.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Volunteer of the Month
Our August Volunteer of the Month is Mike Lee. Mike became our technology advisor in 2008. |
|
 |
|
|
 |
| |
Copyright © 2014 Lubuto Library Project, Inc.
The Lubuto Library Project is exempt from U.S. Federal income tax as a public charity
under Section 501(C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. |
| |
|
