African Library Project

THE AFRICAN LIBRARY PROJECT CHANGES LIVES BOOK BY BOOK, TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS IN AFRICA AND NORTH AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS, TO CREATE, IMPROVE, AND SUSTAIN LIBRARIES IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES.

AFRICAN LIBRARY PROJECT (ALP) CHANGES LIVES BOOK BY BOOK, TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS IN AFRICA AND NORTH AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS, TO CREATE, IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN LIBRARIES IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES. THE VISION OF OUR ORGANIZATION IS TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES BY CREATING SPACES THAT NURTURE LITERACY. OUR APPROACH IS GUIDED BY THE CORE VALUES OF PARTNERSHIP, INVOLVEMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY. AT ALP, COLLABORATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTE TO OUR MISSION. EACH LIBRARY SPACE WE CO-CREATE WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS, PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKES ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, EVER-GROWING, CONSTANTLY EVOLVING TO REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO USE THEM. IN 2022, ALP CREATED OR IMPROVED 278 SMALL LIBRARIES WITH THE HELP OF VOLUNTEERS IN NORTH AMERICA AND PARTNERS IN BOTSWANA, GHANA, KENYA, LESOTHO, MALAWI, AND UGANDA. ALP PARTNERS ENCOMPASSES, 12 PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS THAT INCLUDE A COMBINATION OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS MANY DEDICATED EDUCATION AND LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS. COLLECTIVELY, THE PROCESS OF SUPPORTING 278 LIBRARIES INVOLVED THE DONATION OF 302,040 NEW OR GENTLY USED CHILDRENS BOOKS. THESE BOOKS WERE GATHERED AND SHIPPED BY 182 VOLUNTEERS AS BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS (EITHER INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS, GROUPS ARE COUNTED AS ONE) WHO COORDINATED 428 BOOK DRIVES. ALP'S 2022 BOOK DRIVES WELCOMED 101 FIRST-TIME BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS, OF WHICH 19 CONTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN ONE BOOK DRIVE. THE NUMBER OF BOOK DRIVES (428) IS CONTRARYWISE TO THE NUMBER OF NEW LIBRARIES (278), BECAUSE WE ALLOW AND ACCEPT BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS TO OPT TO COMPLETE HALF BOOK DRIVES. HALF BOOK DRIVES ARE SOMETIMES MATCHED WITH ANOTHER HALF BOOK DRIVE IF THE LIBRARY RECIPIENT'S LEARNER POPULATION EXCEEDS 400 EXPECTED READERS. THIS PROCESS MATCHES BOOK DRIVES DIRECTLY WITH A LIBRARY APPLICANT THAT IS DEEMED AN ELIGIBLE LIBRARY RECIPIENT. ELIGIBILITY IS BASED ON SEVERAL FACTORS INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO PROPERLY STORE THE BOOKS IN A MANNER THAT MAKES THEM ACCESSIBLE TO LEARNERS, AND RECEIPT OF SUPPORT FROM THE ORGANIZATION'S STAFF AND LEADERSHIP AND SOMETIMES LOCAL LEADERSHIP OFFICIALS. THE APPLICATIONS ALSO DETERMINE WHAT THE LEARNER'S READING LEVEL IS AND INTERESTS ARE. WE CATEGORIZE LIBRARIES INTO THE FOLLOWING READING LEVELS: EARLY CHILDHOOD, PRIMARY SCHOOL, SECONDARY SCHOOL, JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY. THIS INFORMATION ALLOWS THE BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS TO COLLECT THE RIGHT KIND OF BOOKS, WHICH HELPS OPTIMIZE THE LIBRARIES' IMPACT. BASED ON THE 278 FULFILLED LIBRARY APPLICATIONS, THE 302,000+ DONATED BOOKS WILL IMPACT THE EDUCATION OF APPROXIMATELY OVER 212,000 LEARNERS. THESE LEARNERS HAD LIMITED OR NO ACCESS TO BOOKS OF THE PROPER READING LEVEL BEFORE THEIR SCHOOL'S OR COMMUNITIES' ALP LIBRARY. PROPER ACCESS TO THE RIGHT READING MATERIALS ENHANCES THE ONE'S ABILITY TO CULTIVATE BETTER READING TECHNIQUES AND EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE MORE SUCCESSFULLY. MANY LIBRARY APPLICATIONS HAVE SPECIFICALLY NOTED THAT THE LIBRARY WILL CHANGE THE LIVES OF THEIR COMMUNITIES' YOUTH TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES TO KEEP THEIR YOUTH PREOCCUPIED AND/OR ENROLLED IN SCHOOL. ALP ALSO SUPPLEMENTS THE DONATED BOOKS WITH ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND RESOURCES, SUCH AS HIV/AIDS JUNIOR AFRICAN WRITERS SERIES BOOKS AND STEM READERS.ADDITIONALLY, ALP STRIVES TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY BY INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THESE SPACES TO EXIST AND THRIVE. ALP PROVIDES LIBRARY MANUALS, AND THE PARTNERS FACILITATE TRAINING FOR LIBRARY RECIPIENTS. THE MANUAL IS A RESOURCE THAT HELPS NEW TEACHER-LIBRARIANS IN UNDERSTANDING HOW TO EFFECTIVELY SET UP, AND MANAGE AND MAINTAIN A LIBRARY, AND SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONING AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE LIBRARY. LASTLY, ALP DEVOTED TIME TO STRENGTHENING ITS FUTURE BY IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES TO ENSURE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY, DEEPENING AND DIVERSIFYING ENGAGEMENT, AND MEASURE THE IMPACT OF ALP LIBRARIES. ONE INITIATIVE, LED BY THE ALP MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION COMMITTEE, FOCUSED ON MEASURING THE IMPACT OF ALP'S LIBRARIES IN BOTSWANA AND LESOTHO. OUTCOMES OVERCOVERED THAT THE LIBRARIES HAD A LOT OF POSITIVE CHANGE ON THE LEARNERS' MORALE, LITERACY, AND EXAM PASS RATES, AS WELL AS THE MAIN USE OF THE LIBRARY BEING FOR LESSONS FACILITATED BY TEACHERS, LEISURE READING, AND RESEARCH FOR SCHOOLWORK. PLANS FOR EXPANDING THIS INITIATIVE INTO MORE COUNTRIES ARE PLANNED FOR IN 2023.