Establishing community and school libraries: African Library Project experience

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to disseminate the lessons learned from the African Library Project (ALP), which has worked in collaboration with more than 1,500 partners to stock 3,762 community and school libraries in 13 African countries with more than 3,883,082 books. Hopefully, these lessons will help other decision-makers and practitioners in different contexts. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the authors’ implementation experience and secondary data the project has collected since its commencement. Findings The paper identified the following best practices that other organizations can adopt to enhance or establish additional school and community libraries: the application and book-receiving process, using collaboration, partnerships and volunteerism to mobilize resources are just a few best practices that have been highlighted. Use of student and teacher librarians in the absence of professional librarians, as well as materials and forums for increasing capacity among teachers and community librarians. Practical implications Other stakeholders in developing countries can replicate the ALP best practices to set up and run school and community libraries. Originality/value Although many individuals and organizations are involved in promoting literacy activities, no particular framework guides the process. This paper summarizes ALP best practices that can inform a framework that can guide the practice.