Canadian students reach out to provide first library in Angolan town

Librarians Without Borders (LWB) began as a conversation in December 2004 between graduate students Melanie Sellar and Jorge Chimbinda, while they were marking and grading papers in an introductory linguistics course at the University of Western Ontario. Jorge told of students begging him for resources whenever he returned to his native Angola. Inspired by Jorge's efforts to purchase and arrange shipment of medical textbooks, Melanie saw a chance for her peers in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program to get involved.

In February 2005, the  MLIS students decided to partner with Jorge and to found an organization that would address the vast information resource inequity existing between different regions of the world by building sustainable libraries and supporting their custodians and advocates -- librarians.

Biblioteca Tutangi, which translates from Portuguese and Umbundu into English as "let us study, let us learn", is LWB's first international project. The Portuguese-language nursing and medical library will support the learning needs of university and college students in Huambo, who have never before had access to an official library.

At the project launch, Jorge, who serves as local liaison for LWB's Angolan partner, the Catholic Archdiocese of Huambo, spoke of the power of books. "Everyone who starves for knowledge can be fed by a book, and its content is not diminished… A book teaches in silence, however, its effect is eloquent. A book liberates, a book plants the roots of development. Books are irreplaceable tools for improving the quality of education in Angola and elsewhere."

The Archbishop has established the Centro Cultural João Paulo II cultural center in Huambo that will include facilities for Open University distance learning study and Biblioteca Tutangi. While the library will be open to all, its collections will initially target high school and university students, instructors, and working professionals.

During the winter of  2006, LWB members and their Angolan partners began to identify Portuguese nursing and medical resources for the collection. In May 2007, a partner member took the list to Angola to be reviewed by key people in the schools and community, who will select and rank the titles, indicate the number of copies needed, and identify any areas not addressed, so the collection is tailored to their needs.

At the same time, LWB began developing a program to raise funds needed to buy the costly books. This Sponsor-a-Book campaign is projected for launch in 2008, and will allow individuals and organizations to directly assist Biblioteca Tutangi by fundraising for a particular subject area.

In keeping with its name, LWB plans to enable supporters to collaborate on-site with Angolan library staff, by providing collection development and maintenance support, and assisting with information literacy instruction for staff and users alike. LWB will also work with Angolan library staff to create a professional development strategy, which could include association memberships and conference participation.

This story was adapted from materials on the Librarians Without Borders website. Contact information: Librarians Without Borders, PO Box 47015, UCC Postal Outlet, 1151 Richmond Street North, London Ontario Canada N6G 6G6. Email.


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