Developing World Libraries

Should libraries in developing nations rely on donations and weeded books from developed nations? Do libraries only need books?

When deciding if libraries in developing nations should rely on weeded books from developed nations, my first reaction was no because I was thinking about all the books I weeded from the non-fiction collection in our school library. They were dated, torn and inaccurate. Zell (2015) talks about this practice of “book dumping” and talks about the need to monitor and evaluate donation programs (p. 3).

I think that supporting organizations such as Book Aid International where the majority of the books are brand new would be more valuable than donating unwanted books from our library. Book Aid International partnered with the National Library of Uganda to launch Inspiring Readers program in Uganda in 2017 and 2018 and is now working in Kenya, Cameroon, Malawi and Sierra Leone as well. Each school received a Book Box Library, which includes 1250 brand new fiction and non-fiction books at different levels as well as money to purchase local books and support the training of teachers (2019a, para. 2-3). In addition, each participating school is “linked to its local library which already has a Children’s Corner. The libraries act as hubs, providing teachers with additional support, extra books and the expertise of a professional librarian” (2019b, para. 3). Book Aid International suggests that as a result of these programs, students were reading for pleasure and their comprehension skills improved, students’ confidence and participation in class increased and teachers were using these new books in their lessons (2019b, para. 4-6).  

Books for Schools in Rumuruti, Kenya, Book Aid International

Although schools are given small grants to purchase some books locally, the majority of the books donated by Book Aid International are published in the UK and the United States. At least Book Aid International is making some effort to ensure that specific needs are met and support local publishing because other donation companies are not doing this. Zell suggests that many book donation organizations “paint a worst-case scenario, in order to justify these organizations’ continuing existence” (2015, p. 14) and make false claims that there are “few or no publishers” in Africa and a “lack of high-quality age-appropriate children’s books in local languages” (p. 12). In contrast, he suggests the industry has “developed steadily” and is making progress and these organizations should be collaborating with local publishers to find or develop suitable books (2015, p. 12).

He goes on to suggests that “[w]hile the people behind library aid and book donation programmes are probably convinced that their schemes are well intentioned and meet an acute need, even the most well-intentioned programmes may sometimes have unintended, potentially negative consequences, and may not adequately take into account the cultural and infrastructure implications” (2015, p. 5). He suggests that by donating so many books, these organizations may actually be doing harm because receiving donated books is now the norm for many libraries in parts of Africa and this has created a “culture of dependency” because governments rely on the support and don’t support local libraries (2015, p. 43). Zell suggests this support can also hurt local book publishers because they can’t compete with the free books the libraries are receiving (2015, p. 18). Thus, Zell talks reiterates the need to monitor and evaluate donation programs and refers to the Book Donations for Development document published in 2005 by UNESCO as “the most current and the most comprehensive document to date to provide extensive guidelines for ‘correct giving’,” but he talks about how there isn’t much evidence to suggest book donors are following the recommendations (2015, p. 20).

Zell also suggests that organizations such as Worldreader that focus on bringing e-books to classrooms and public libraries in Africa face the same challenges, but are working to include books from African publishers (2015, p. 40). As I read Zell’s article, I thought about how much my daughter loves reading books with us each day. I can’t imagine not having access to physical picture books to read, so I wondered if it’s still worth sending weeded fiction books to developing nations, but based on what I’ve read and considering the of shipping books overseas, I think I would be more likely to support organizations like CODE. CODE supports initiatives in Africa but also in Canada and in the Caribbean. They support local publishing so students have access to relevant books and they help raise money towards the cost of library furniture as well as books and training for library staff.

Do mobile devices place a role in these libraries? How can they assist their patrons in accessing more up to date information?

While I am still not sure where I stand in terms of book donation programs abroad, I am curious to learn more about the role of mobile devices in allowing users to access more up to date information as well as programs that work to expand access to the Internet in developing countries. According to Kirkpatrick (2018), infrastructure to allow developing regions of the world access to the Internet is not always in place and even when connections are available, many people cannot afford devices or accounts to access the Internet (p. 20). Although some organizations donate digital devices, these may be useless if people cannot access the Internet.

I explored three different programs, each offering different services.

1.) The Ideas Box

Libraries Without Borders works to provide access to information to people living in camps or developing countries around the world and started the Ideas Box in 2010. The Ideas Box is mobile, uses its own power source, and consists of integrated furniture that can be setup in less than 20 minutes. It typically consists of “a satellite internet connection, digital server, a power generator, 25 tablets and laptops, 6 HD cameras, 1 large HD screen, board games, arts and crafts materials, hardcover and paperback books, and a stage for music and theatre” (Libraries Without Borders, n.d., para. 4), although each box is customized to meet the needs of people in France, the United States, Australia and Senegal.

Ideas Box, Bibliothèques San Frontières

2. The Kio Kit

BRCK Education takes Kio Kits to 17 countries around the world. The kit is basically a digital classroom in a box consisting of “40 Kio tablets, a SupaBRCK, wireless tablet charging and a hardened, water-resistant, lockable case” (2019, para. 1). These kits are designed in Africa for students in Africa. The entire kit has one plug and can last 8 hours once charged. It can also be run using solar power. The tablets run on an Android operating system, consist of interactive books and videos as well as educational games and can operate without Internet access.

Digital Classroom in a Box, BRCK Education

3.) eGranary

If access to an Internet connection is an issue, the eGranary Digital Library or “The Internet in a Box” consists of 35 million digital resources that can be accessed offline (WiderNet, n.d., para. 1). The eGranary, founded in 2001, consists of one of three options - a full sized server, a smaller server that can operate on battery or solar power, or a USB drive that can convert a computer into a server (WiderNet, n.d., para. 3). The eGranary has a built in search engine that allows the user to browse just like we would on the Internet but it requires no Internet connection. It contains over 2000 websites, which they have received permission to share as well as books, textbooks, journals and videos. The servers are setup in schools, universities, libraries and hospitals around the world. In addition, users have the ability to create content. They can make websites with the built in editor as well as upload content from cell phones and laptops allowing them to share their knowledge (The WiderNet Project, 2015).

eGranary Animation, The WiderNet Project

References

Book Aid International. (2017, April 27). Books for Schools in Rumuruti, Kenya [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/venf_QGRCbY

Book Aid International. (2019a). Inspiring Readers. Retrieved from https://bookaid.org/what-we-do/supporting-education/inspiring-readers/

Book Aid International. (2019b, February 14). Inspiring Readers Uganda phase one report. Retrieved from https://bookaid.org/publications/2019/02/14/inspiring-readers-uganda-phase-one-report/

BRCK (2016, August 22). Digital Classroom in a Box [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/djzVDh6qKPk

BRCK Education. (2019). Hardware, Software and Connectivity Tools to Enable Learning. Retrieved from https://www.brck.com/education/#

CODE. (2018). What We Do. Retrieved from https://code.ngo/what-we-do 

The Grommet. (2015, October 16). Library: The Heart of a Community [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/mfpUuYRdA6Y

Heavner, Rachel. (2019, January 29). Working with Publishers to Build Lasting Change. Retrieved from https://www.worldreader.org/blog/working-with-publishers-to-build-lasting-change/

Kirkpatrick, Keith. (2018). Bringing the Internet to the (Developing) World. Communications of the ACM, 61 (7), pp. 20-21.

Libraries Without Borders. (n.d.). Ideas Box. Retrieved from https://www.librarieswithoutborders.org/ideasbox/#1472134509606-d56b9763-2877

The WiderNet Project. (2015, May 12). eGranary Animation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/i8I6BVRSD5c

WiderNet. (n.d.). About the eGranary. Retrieved from https://www.widernet.org/egranary/about

Worldreader. (2018). Our Library. Retrieved from https://www.worldreader.org/our-solution/library

Zell, Hans M. (2015). Book Donation Programmes for Africa: Time for a Reappraisal? Part I: Book Donation Programmes in English-speaking Africa. Journal of SCOLMA (the UK Libraries and Archives Group on Africa), 127, pp. 1-109. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/13165497/Book_Donation_Programmes_for_Africa_Time_for_a_Reappraisal_Part_I