Bring innovative libraries to 100,000 Africans

UNLETTERED MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN LEARN NEW SKILLS

Nwando is a librarian in a branch of the National Library of Nigeria in Enugu. A number of the women in the city and its surrounding towns work in the informal sector as petty traders, artisans, and non-professional service providers, such as market sweepers and itinerant hawkers of food items and as subsistence farmers in the surrounding villages. Many of these women are middle-aged, mostly with no formal education. The challenge was how these women could gain literacy and entrepreneurship skills that would assist them to thrive in their businesses, including how to write their names so that they can open bank accounts or be able to read /recognise their names and track their savings with those they save their monies with, or be able to rightly count and know their monies when they are selling or buying items for resell. They also need to know how to price their farm products appropriately so that they will not be cheated. Could the library ever have programs for these categories of women? This question agitated Nwando’s mind as a female librarian.

Nwando was elated when she was chosen for the INELI- SSAf course to enable her to learn new things but she never connected the course to her agitated mind until the training started. Going through modules such as Time Management, Taking Risks, Making Decisions with Data, and Community Engagement, among others were very enlightening and educative. One of the assignments for Community engagement required her to meet, engage and know people in her community who are yet to use the library, find out their information needs, their challenges and if any barriers hinder them from using the library and then think about innovative library and information services for such community members. That was her breakthrough.

While carrying out the assignment on community engagement, she met with community leaders who assisted in mobilising the women she interviewed.  In the process, she learnt about their information needs and confirmed that they could be met by the library. The challenge was how to get the women to visit the library to be taught the skills. She selected volunteers from among the women who assisted in reaching out to their colleagues and identifying what they needed to learn and what the library could do for them. It became clear that it was not necessary to introduce them to books in the library as most of them could not read well. Rather, the library could simplify the knowledge in the available information resources for them. A skills acquisition outreach program that would be taken to the women where they are, was put in place. Skills that Nwando learnt at INELI SSAF such as Collaboration, Advocacy, Project Planning and Implementation were applied in making the outreach happen.

Volunteers were assembled. About One hundred and thirty (130) women were taught how to make and market household consumables such as soaps and detergents and also basic literacy and numeracy skills in their dialect. At the end of the first attempt, the women gained numeracy and literacy skills as they learned how to spell their names and understood basic counting, multiplication, subtraction and division. They also gained skills that would enable them to price their agricultural products adequately. Those who were interested in making soaps and detergents began producing them.
Nwando confessed when she saw the success of the outreach program “Personally, the success of the outreach taught me some practical lessons. It made me happy that I could put into practice what I had gained from the INELI SSAf Course. I understood that libraries are not only about books but should be institutions that transform lives and communities. I also learned that through community engagement, libraries can better understand what their communities need and create services geared to serve them rather than assuming that everyone is interested in accessing books on their shelves” Truly this is what libraries of today are supposed to do for their communities.

• Unlettered_Middle_aged_Women_Learn_new_Skills_Pictures.pdf (PDF)
  

Training, a game changer in the provision of innovative information access services

Numerous challenges face easy access to information in Namibia that the libraries under the Namibia Library and Archives Service (NLAS) under the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture can address through innovative information services. These challenges include low literacy rates particularly among the youth, bringing about a lack of adequate literacy skills; limited access to information because many community members do not have access to national and international information resources, limiting their ability to engage in lifelong learning; lack of awareness about copyright laws and so affecting the protection of intellectual property; and limited public engagement with the library and archive services which, reduces the community's exposure to valuable information resources.

The International Network of Emerging Library Innovators (INELI SSAf) program assisted Hilma with the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle these challenges effectively. She learned about how to develop and implement innovative library services that cater to the unique needs of the community; engagement with various community groups to foster a culture of reading and information sharing; education on Intellectual property and copyright laws which is crucial for promoting creativity and diversity; anddigital literacy and access techniques to promote digital literacy and improve access to digital resources, ensuring equitable access to information.

With the knowledge gained from the INELI SSAf program, Hilma found the 2024 World Book and Copyright Day as an opportunity to implement strategies to tackle the challenges within the community by drawing more people to the library and archive services. The celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day by NLAS was held on 23rd April 2024 and was conducted in collaboration with the National Archives of Namibia; the Educational Library Service (ELS) and the Community Library Service under the theme “Read Your Way” aligning with National Library of Namibia’s ongoing efforts to champion creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge.

Hilma led her colleagues to organise reading sessions in collaboration with the ELS and partnered with local organisations to provide greater access to national and international information resources. Training on how to use these resources effectively was offered as well as seminars and interactive sessions to raise awareness about copyright laws and the importance of intellectual property protection. These sessions were targeted at authors, publishers, and the general public which is now an ongoing activity. The audience ranged from young readers to established authors and publishers. Namibian Authors and Publishers were also celebrated with a ceremony dedicated to honour Namibian authors and publishers who have significantly contributed to the literary landscape

The library increased engagement with its user communities through various activities such as interactive storytelling events; an Author Meet-and-Greet session where attendees had the opportunity to interact with their favourite authors, ask questions, and receive signed copies of their books; promotion of the use of libraries and archives, including guided tours to the facilities of the National Library to learn about the resources available and how to access them and to view special exhibits showcasing rare and historical documents highlighting Namibia’s rich cultural heritage and also the promotion of creativity and diversity; cultural performances by local artistes, including poetry readings, music, and traditional dances, celebrating Namibia’s cultural diversity to conclude the celebration.

Since then, the patronage of the library has improved; more people understand why they need to respect intellectual property and obey its laws, authors are being respected and appreciated and a strong bond has been formed between the community and the library. Hilma with a smile on her face said “INELI SSAf, where have you been all these years until recently, it is better late than never though. I now know how better to serve my community’s information and cultural needs. What I learned from INELI SSAf was the wind under my wings which energised the whole library to run this event.”

• Hilmas_Story_pictures.pdf (PDF)