The role of Libraries in enabling Social Inclusion

kingsleyjohn

Jul 29

In this post, we would like to celebrate the role that Libraries can play in enabling Social Inclusion by highlighting a few great examples of Innovation and Resilience, and, above all, dedication to reaching and serving disadvantaged and under-served communities.

Starting with the Public Library in Mombasa, this is a library with a fascinating history of service to the people of Mombasa and surrounding Coastal counties in Kenya. Founded in 1903 as the Mombasa Public Library and Free Reading Room, the Library proudly served all communities in Mombasa (see picture below), despite the near-apartheid state that existed in Kenya under British colonial rule prior to independence in 1963. Now part of the Kenya National Library Service, the library also has an active Mobile Library service that serves more than 40 schools and over 4,000 children across 3 counties.

**A brochure promoting Mombasa Library, 1957**

Mobile Library Services in Kenya provide critical services, especially to children in remote and rural areas and include libraries that are "powered" by buses, camels and donkeys, which you can read about here. The Camel Libraries in Garissa and Wajir Counties in North Eastern Kenya are also the subject of a book called the Camel Book Mobile by Masha Hamilton.

A similar project developed in Balochistan Province, Pakistan, at the height of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the project enables children in remote areas to access reading and learning materials on a regular basis. Please read more about the project in a Guardian article here and have a look at the short video below, from South China Morning Post made in April 2021.

Elsewhere in the Coast Region of Kenya, please read also about the important work of Just be a Child in building and supporting 17 community libraries in Kwale County, and that of Akili Trust, which supports 3 school libraries in Kilifi County, as well as offering bursaries for Secondary School students.

Another aspect of library accessibility is the provision of services for blind and visually-impaired persons, and we would like to highlight a project of Electronic Information For Libraries or EIFL here that is supporting the work of libraries in 23 countries. A downloadable brochure is also available here, which describes the impact of EIFL's work in relation to the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty (full name - Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled).

As part of the work of the British Library, a range of community engagement and children's storytelling activities take place on a regular basis. We would like to highlight one story below, "Anancy and the Magic Pot", a classic West African and Caribbean folktale, read by Sandra Agard, a writer of children's stories and Learning Facilitator at the Library, who was recently elected as an Honorary Fellow by the Royal Society of Literature.

Glasgow Women's Library (GWL) is a unique library located in Scotland that is now over 30 years old and dedicated to Women's Lives, Histories and Achievements. We featured GWL in an earlier piece about Feminist Initiatives that you can access here. We would also like to highlight a recent blog post entitled Transformations that describes a two-year research project, where you can watch a short video about the project and see the Action Points that came out of it, including an emphasis on Inclusivity, Creativity and having a Non-Hierarchical and Feminist Organisational Structure. Please explore the history of GWL in the form of an interactive timeline here.

Below is posted a short video called "Why Community Libraries Matter", highlighting the important work of thousands of Community Libraries across India. Amongst other issues, the video discusses the role of community libraries in promoting inclusion and opportunities for rural youth, as well as tackling negative attitudes on issues such as Islamophobia and Casteism.

The Uganda Community Libraries Association is a vibrant network of more than 130 members from across the country, one of which is located at Kawempe Youth Centre in Kampala; please read about the work of the youth centre and library here.

In neighbouring Rwanda, one of the most iconic buildings recently established is the Kigali Public Library, which has been greatly supported by Libraries without Borders; please read more about their work in Rwanda here. Please also read about the work of Children's Peace Libraries in Rwanda during the pandemic here.

In Kenya, we would also like to highlight the important work of Book Bunk, who have been restoring 3 public libraries in Nairobi over the last 5 years, one in the city centre (McMillan Memorial) and two which are community-based (Eastlands and Kaloleni). This has included architectural work, digitization, activities such as homework clubs and other events. Book Bunk's belief is that "We imagine that public libraries can be steered to become more than just repositories, acting as sites of knowledge production, shared experiences, cultural leadership and information exchange. We see them as sites of heritage, public art, memory and as critical spaces in Nairobi and Kenya's creative economy ecology."

With all these wonderful examples, we hope you feel inspired to support the work of libraries wherever you are... we leave you with the powerful words below of Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai.