Community libraries prove the power of access to knowledge

African libraries are discovering new roles in society - no longer stuffy repositories of tattered books, but centres of community relevance where the youth can learn the habits of good citizenship. "We are rethinking what a library is supposed to be. In Africa it can be much more than a warehouse to keep books," Katherine Parr, a consultant with the International Reading Association (IRA) working in Uganda, told IRIN. "The modern library is not just a place to store books: it is a place to host author readings, a quiet place with all the necessary study tools at hand for students to do research and homework; it is a social centre, a bulletin board, and an institution to promote the growth of the individual," said Simangele Mmema, the president of the Swaziland Reading Association. New community libraries are mushrooming in Uganda, with local people playing a direct role, even to the extent of helping with their construction. "School students made the bricks for construction - the rest was done through volunteerism, the community passes the hat for books. Anyone can use the library for a small $2 annual membership fee," said Parr. Uganda's community libraries, like many other new ones in Africa, are bringing a reading culture to thousands who do not have access to national libraries located in the major cities. "Libraries must come to where people live, in townships and suburbs. On their days off and on weekends, readers find it hard and expensive to travel to city centre libraries, which usually have shortened hours on weekends and holidays," said Prof C.E. Onukaogu, President of the International Development in Africa Committee, part of the IRA. In Onukaogu's native Nigeria, the World Bank is funding secure, fireproof cabinets for new libraries' most valuable assets - books, which remain the preferred type of reading material even in the internet age. "The cabinets are mobile. Because of theft and the poor quality of most school buildings in Africa, it is not safe to have formal libraries," said Onukaogu. A similar approach is used in Swaziland. "The library boxes are kept in the school's faculty room. They are brought out to each classroom during library periods. I was inspired by a 2003 Reading for All Conference to push my school board and administration to begin a library service at our school," said Simangele Mmema, a primary school teacher who heads the Swaziland Reading Association. "Each class has its own box of 200 books, with an available library of 2,800 books. Since we started the library, we have had an improvement in scholarship. There have been no failures in 7th grade eternal exams, and English grades have improved in all levels," Mmema reported. Most experts in library science feel that primary schools are the most important part of any African nation's library system. "If I were to rank the importance of libraries, I'd prioritise primary school libraries - definitely! That is where children develop the reading habits of a lifetime," said Onukaogu. In Swaziland's two main libraries - in the capital, Mbabane, and the central commercial hub of Manzini - the most active sections are the children's rooms. "On Wednesdays, primary school students working with libraries put on shows based on books they've read. We also have actors to read aloud from books," said Manzini librarian Happiness Mabuza. The country's main libraries and 13 smaller regional libraries also host adult literacy courses and, until they recently ran out of space, Distance Education courses for adults. "Adult use has required us to extend our operating hours well into the evenings," said Mabuza. "But that's good, because an African library should be the new community centre, where all generations can fulfil their needs."