Libraries bring people the world
This is Safe Haven Library / TYIN Tegnestue, in 2009.
The concrete base of the library is
cast on a bed of large rocks gathered on-site. Walls made of plastered concrete
blocks cools the building during the day, while the open bamboo facade gives a
good ventilation. Iron wood makes up the solid frame construction and serves as
comfortable floor for the children to play on. Go to the website you can see inside the structure.
Wow! Thinking about libraries around the world, here is a unique one. It may seem way out there, but it is really trying to best utilize the environment and climate to creating a pleasant and useful space. I also remember meeting a woman at the airport. She was refugee from Somalia and she had been a librarian at an academic facility. People had to ask for books to be retrieved and could not browse shelves. It was also one of the first places destroyed. From the research I have done libraries in come in many forms, some more extravagant than others, but they all have a similar purpose – to bring the world to the community it serves.
I was surprised at how little I found easily but I did find
some pieces that excited me and I dug deeper and found more things that
surprised me. I tried to find out about Ecuador as we have a student here from
there, but I couldn't find much. BUT, it did lead me to other things, which I
think this assignment was all about. Here’s all that I have on Ecuador.
“Libraries
Without Borders has developed the Koombook, a portable server that creates a
wifi hotspot in areas without an internet connection.”
Just like the Koombook, I found an article called, "E-Readers Mark a New Chapter in the Developing World", that discussed e-readers and so I did some searching. I found out that David Risher started World Readers after a trip around the world. It is a nonprofit organization that supplies e-readers to developing countries. Check out this link to read more https://www.worldreader.org .
The International Federation of Libraries Association (IFLA) has come very interesting papers on digital media in developing and developed countries. There was one called, "Library Services for Social Inclusion in Multicultural Communities In Birbhum, West Bengal, India", which discussed how libraries are being supported in reaching out. Also the IFLA Statement on Digital Literacy: Resource Pack, has some more interesting reports from countries. The site is worth a visit if you have not found it yet.
And of course UNESCO has some very interesting good documentation on Digital Media as well as libraries and education. One particular one is Reading in the Mobile Era which analyzes data from surveys from developing countries. Written in 2014 it needs an update but it allow us to see some of the starting points support organizations used. I could have spent a week just reading the reports from UNESCO and the IFLA but that's the academic in me :) I also found a blog on the site Scoop-it!
I also want to share one article that was on Edutopia, (and it is not the best but it's a starting point), which talks a about how to donate books over seas. We send ours through Grande Prairie Rotary and they go to Ethiopia but that project is ending soon. The link is https://www.edutopia.org/aid-international-schools
Lastly, I found this video that was done in 2009 talking about libraries in the academic world in ten years. It almost fits our topic since it is from England, but it is interesting to hear what was being said and what is happening today.
Citations
“Creating A World Where Everyone Can Be A Reader.” Worldreader, World Reader, 2017, www.worldreader.org/.
“Https://Www.ifla.org/Files/Assets/Faife/Statements/ifla_digital_literacy_statement.”
Lynn, Neary. "E-Readers Mark a New Chapter in the Developing World." All Things Considered (NPR), 02 Dec. 2013. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=6XN201312022009&site=ehost-live.
"Projects." IFLA. International Federation of Libraries Association, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
Rédaction, and Gaëlle Noëson. “Koombook, La Bibliothèque Numérique Nomade.” Lettres Numériques, Lettres Numériques, 28 June 2016, www.lettresnumeriques.be/2016/06/28/koombook-la-bibliotheque-numerique-nomade
"Safe Haven Library / TYIN Tegnestue." ArchDaily. International Librarians Network, 02 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 20.
“School Libraries around the World.” Edited by Lourense Das, Scoop.it, 2017, www.scoop.it/t/school-libraries-around-the-world.
Students at Tufts University. “Support E-Libraries in Post-Earthquake Ecuador.” Libraries Without Borders, Libraries Without Borders, 20 June 2017, www.librarieswithoutborders.org/ecuadorelibraries/.
West, Mark, and Han Ei Chew. “Reading in the Mobile Era.” Reading in the Mobile Era | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, 2014, www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/mobile-reading/reading-in-the-mobile-era/.
Just like the Koombook, I found an article called, "E-Readers Mark a New Chapter in the Developing World", that discussed e-readers and so I did some searching. I found out that David Risher started World Readers after a trip around the world. It is a nonprofit organization that supplies e-readers to developing countries. Check out this link to read more https://www.worldreader.org .
The International Federation of Libraries Association (IFLA) has come very interesting papers on digital media in developing and developed countries. There was one called, "Library Services for Social Inclusion in Multicultural Communities In Birbhum, West Bengal, India", which discussed how libraries are being supported in reaching out. Also the IFLA Statement on Digital Literacy: Resource Pack, has some more interesting reports from countries. The site is worth a visit if you have not found it yet.
And of course UNESCO has some very interesting good documentation on Digital Media as well as libraries and education. One particular one is Reading in the Mobile Era which analyzes data from surveys from developing countries. Written in 2014 it needs an update but it allow us to see some of the starting points support organizations used. I could have spent a week just reading the reports from UNESCO and the IFLA but that's the academic in me :) I also found a blog on the site Scoop-it!
I also want to share one article that was on Edutopia, (and it is not the best but it's a starting point), which talks a about how to donate books over seas. We send ours through Grande Prairie Rotary and they go to Ethiopia but that project is ending soon. The link is https://www.edutopia.org/aid-international-schools
Lastly, I found this video that was done in 2009 talking about libraries in the academic world in ten years. It almost fits our topic since it is from England, but it is interesting to hear what was being said and what is happening today.
Citations
“Creating A World Where Everyone Can Be A Reader.” Worldreader, World Reader, 2017, www.worldreader.org/.
“Https://Www.ifla.org/Files/Assets/Faife/Statements/ifla_digital_literacy_statement.”
“IFLA Statement on Digital Literacy (18
August 2017).” Www.ifla.org/Publications, International Federation of
Libraries Association, 2014, www.ifla.org/publications/node/11586.
JISC Media. “JISC -
Libraries of the Future.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 June 2009,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjoJd_uN-7M.
Lynn, Neary. "E-Readers Mark a New Chapter in the Developing World." All Things Considered (NPR), 02 Dec. 2013. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=6XN201312022009&site=ehost-live.
"Projects." IFLA. International Federation of Libraries Association, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
Rédaction, and Gaëlle Noëson. “Koombook, La Bibliothèque Numérique Nomade.” Lettres Numériques, Lettres Numériques, 28 June 2016, www.lettresnumeriques.be/2016/06/28/koombook-la-bibliotheque-numerique-nomade
"Safe Haven Library / TYIN Tegnestue." ArchDaily. International Librarians Network, 02 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 20.
“School Libraries around the World.” Edited by Lourense Das, Scoop.it, 2017, www.scoop.it/t/school-libraries-around-the-world.
Students at Tufts University. “Support E-Libraries in Post-Earthquake Ecuador.” Libraries Without Borders, Libraries Without Borders, 20 June 2017, www.librarieswithoutborders.org/ecuadorelibraries/.
West, Mark, and Han Ei Chew. “Reading in the Mobile Era.” Reading in the Mobile Era | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, 2014, www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/mobile-reading/reading-in-the-mobile-era/.
Thanks for sharing about the Safe Haven Library. It is interesting to see that they have built something that addresses some of the environmental factors in that area ie. a concrete base to the plaster concrete walls to keep library users cool during the day, very thoughtful It may seem not very much to us in the West but I bet the locals are thrilled and appreciate it, and it is a start isn't?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post and many others it makes me want to develop my own organization that helps support learners around the world, especially in devastated or developing nations. Sure yes as we did our research we already know there are so many organizations out there already, so why would I want to start another?? well that is simple, because we need to have all these organizations to partner together to give all the resources to communities. You got excited about doing this assignment, I did as well, did it not make you think what more can you personally do globally?
ReplyDeleteWell done blog post. You found many great examples of organizations, groups and technologies to support communities in developing their literacy skills. A well crafted post with images, links, videos and references, you did a great job on this. Your discussion and evaluation of what you were able to find, and what you were expecting to find was also insightful. Overall, a very well done exploration into this week's topic.
ReplyDelete