PLIP takes off and lands safely

Projects report on progress at Nairobi meeting

After only six months, the Public Libraries Innovation Programme (PLIP) is making really good progress. This was the verdict of delegates to the second PLIP grantee meeting which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 28th to December 2nd 2010.

 Despite snowstorms in Europe, 11 of the 12 funded projects made the journey to Kenya successfully, coming from Mexico, Chile, Lithuania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Cambodia, Nepal, Ghana and Zambia. We missed the Mongolian delegate, Begzsuren Jamsranjav, whose flights were cancelled because of poor weather. 

At the meeting, delegates reported on their progress and achievements. We include headlines at the end of this story, and you can click on the links to find out more about each project.

Delegates also discussed how to sustain, scale up and replicate their projects in future. These are important topics as the PLIP project draws to a close in April 2011. To sustain their projects in future, EIFL encourages the PLIP grantees to forge partnerships. Delegates reported a variety of new and growing relationships with a variety of local government departments and non-governmental and community-based organizations.

The Nairobi meeting was also many delegates’ first trip to Africa. Our hosts, the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS – also a PLIP grantee), planned visits to new and older libraries. We visited the KNLS headquarters on Library Hill, Nairobi, and a new library, soon to be opened, in the suburb of Buruburu. 

One, the libraries, the Nakuru Provincial Library, was just a few minutes away from the Lake Nakuru National Park, in the Great Rift Valley. Nakuru, which means ‘waterbuck haven’ in Kiswahili, is renowned for its wild birds and animals. This was an opportunity too good to miss, and the group spent a happy few hours gamespotting in the park, seeing huge flocks of flamingos and pelicans, rhinos, giraffe and a rare spotted hyena.

We thank the KNLS for arranging an informative and entertaining meeting, and for smooth logistics despite Nairobi’s world famous traffic jams. In particular, thanks to Richard Atuti, Director of the KNLS, Omar Abdi, the KNLS Resource Mobilization Officer, and Dawn Makena Karau, KNLS Public Relations Officer, who were caring and gracious hosts.

PLIP progress headlines:

• Zavidovići Public Library, Bosnia and Herzegovina  is now running computer classes, and English and Maths at their new multi-media youth centre. They have also completed an exciting video about their project, now on You Tube. 
• The Lveate Centrestone Public Library, Cambodia have completed 52 oral history interviews about the struggles of Lveate villagers during the time of the brutal dictator, Pol Pot. 
• Panguipulli Public Library no. 296, Chile are teaching farmers computer skills, working outside in the fields and pastures because Internet connectivity is unreliable indoors.
• HATS Community Empowerment Programme/Ghana Library Board, Ghana have trained 90 young people – mostly girls – in computer, Internet and youth leadership skills.
• Kenya National Library System (KNLS), Kenya have set up e-health corners in two libraries, attracting a variety of new users, including homeless children.
• Utena A. and M. Miskiniai Public Library, Lithuania have developed and launched an innovative game that will reconnect children who resist going to school with teachers and the education system. 
• Public Library "Braka Miladinovci" Radovis, Macedonia have helped 10 unemployed people find jobs through their computer and job application training programme. This exciting project is also now attracting older people, and people living with disabilities.
• Public Libraries Coordination, State of Yucatan, Mexico have developed a prototype website for their digital archive for Mayan culture. They are also finding ways of helping marginalised and poor Mayan communities deal with social problems.
• Ulaanbaatar City Public Library (UPL), Mongolia have gone into production full steam, using volunteer readers to digitise talking books for the blind.
• Saula Public Library, Nepal are expect their first batch of students and traditional artists, who are learning computer and design skills, to graduate very soon. 
• Public Library "Radislav Nikčević" Jagodina, Serbia are about to start a programme that will encourage farmers to accept orders for their produce via email. The farmers, who previously did not use computers, have now developed a website to advertise their wares and share information.
• Lubuto Library Project, Inc, Zambia have created several modules for their local language learning project and are about to start testing it with children.

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