Bring innovative libraries to 100,000 Africans

INELI -SSAf CHANGED FOLASADE’S LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BETTER
Folasade, is a chief librarian at a library in Nigeria. Before INELI SSAf, she was an ordinary librarian on her routine 9 am to 4 pm job schedule as a Cataloguer. She had worked for 12 years without any training outside the four walls of her organisation, so the only experience or training she had was from her seniors and contemporaries.
In 2018 she had the opportunity to be part of the INELI SSAf training. Today, she claims that it is one of the best decisions she has ever taken in her professional journey.
INELI-SSAf changed her perception of librarianship and made her see the profession from a different perspective. From the training received, she has become audacious; she now asks questions, she is very much aware of the information needs of her community and always looks for ways to provide them. She takes smart risks, sees problems as challenges which can be surmounted and appreciates time as an asset never to be wasted. INELI-SSAf has made her a lifelong learner; when she sees doors that never mention librarians, she knocks on such doors, weaves her story around the library and access to information for development, and she always receives a hearing and support. The training she also received on collaboration with stakeholders has come in very handy in her relationships with the community and other stakeholders to ensure that the library remains relevant to the community.
The new services she has introduced in her work with the community is organising movie screening for development. It is an initiative that attracts Youths, civil servants and traders to the library. The movies are carefully selected based on the licensing and current realities in Nigeria. After the movie, users are allowed to have conversations about the theme, subthemes, characterization, and issues raised that resonate with them and then proffer solutions that can be applied to overcome the challenges mirrored in the movies. Some of the movies deal with the issues of migration, climate change, and gender-based violence. This service is making community members perceive the library as a space for civic engagement where they can speak their minds on things (societal trends, policies etc) that affect them.
Her library has also started the Senior citizens corner, which is a room specially designed for the retirees in the user community. The room is cozy and equipped with games like Ludo, Ayo, Scrabble, etc. This is done to encourage them to see the library not as a place to read newspapers only but a place to unwind, play, network and help their mental health. A writer's cocktail has been introduced where writers and community members gather, read and review books and also use the opportunity to celebrate the works of Nigerian authors. These innovative services are creating a niche for the library as the user community now sees the library as an institution that recognises them and their interests, and this has birthed more goodwill for the library.
Folasde concludes that “INELI-SSAF training is a life changer for me. It has empowered me to see libraries in a different light. I now understand that librarians can position the library to be problem solvers in their communities. Getting more librarians, especially the younger ones, to undertake the INELI SSAf programme will bring changes to many African communities”.

• Before_and_After_INELI_SSAfpictures.pdf (PDF)