Good news for public library users around the world !

New initiative to spark the development of innovative services in public libraries in transition and developing countries

Why Public Libraries?Why Public Libraries?

»This Manifesto proclaims UNESCO's belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women.« (IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto)

Public libraries are centres of community lifecentres of community life, 'third places' where people feel safe and welcome, neutral places which stimulate social interaction.

Public libraries are one of the last great civic spaces civic spaces in society.

Public Libraries…Public Libraries…

• Help people to cope with and improve their everyday life

• Help community members who are seeking information

• Provide access to technology and communication

• Encourage and support lifelong learning

RealityReality

In most developing countries libraries are underresourced• Technology infrastructure is poor• Digital information and services are insufficient to meet

user needs• Governments are unaware of the dynamic role libraries

could play in communities• Very few international donors focus on innovation of

public libraries.

PLIP - VisionPLIP - Vision

• To place public libraries at the centre of community life• Helping them to understand community needs• Integrate technology into library services• Improve their outreach to sections of the community

PLIP - AboutPLIP - About

• Three year grant program– 2010: ten grants up to 30.000 USD– 2011: ten grants up to 15.000 USD– 2012: fifteen Innovation Awards of 1.000 USD

• Objectives– To encourage public libraries to develop new innovative

services that are important to the community– To test the replicability of new services– To encourage take up of successful innovation by other

public libraries through wide dissemination of the results of the projects

PartnershipPartnership

Potential partners could be other organizations that provide knowledge resources that libraries currently do not have or local delivery partners who reach different groups that libraries currently do not reach and would like to. • Nonprofit organizations • Schools and colleges• Libraries of all types• Businesses• Government agencies etc.

InnovativeInnovative

Innovation can mean that the service the project develops

• Is completely new or• Has never been done in this place before or• Never focused on this target group before or• Was never done in this partnership before or• Was never done properly before• Or never used technology (or a particular kind of technology) before.

TechnologyTechnology

Program is open to ideas that deploy

• computers, access to the Internet, mobile phones and other mobile devices

• web 2.0 tools• and any software applications that enable the development of these

new services and outreach to the community.

EXAMPLESEXAMPLES

Community groups which need special care

• Emigrants• Ethnic minorities• Physically challenged • Illiterate• Homeless• ….

Living and working togetherLiving and working together

Acess to information Acess to information anytime, anywhereanytime, anywhere

Information literacyInformation literacy

From books… …to Internet

Children and youthChildren and youth

Railway station‘hanging around’ before and after school

Ageing populationAgeing population

• Inclusion into the community

• Communication with friends and family

• E-government• E-banking• E-health• E-shopping

UneployedUneployed

On the street New hope

AgricultureAgriculture

New methods New markets

PLIP-Round 1, 2009/2010PLIP-Round 1, 2009/2010

• Call for proposals: 16th November 2009 http://plip.eifl.net • Application deadline: 28th February 2010• Grants awarded: April 2010• Duration of projects: 12 months• Applications in English• User needs assessment (Tipsheet)• Helpdesk: plip@eifl.net

User needs assessmentUser needs assessment

• The evidence of user needs should be about the target group(s) that the project aims to reach and serve.

• Evidence of "user needs" can be pre-existing or it can be gathered specifically for the project application. – Interpreting evidence such as statistics– Interviews with users, non users or stakeholders – Focus groups with users, non users or stakeholders (see Guidelines on

running focus groups)– Surveys of users, non users or stakeholders– Anecdotal evidence/ hearsay/impressions– Pointing to success of similar services elsewhere ("benchmarking“)

Eligible countriesEligible countries

Middle East and North AfricaEgypt, Ethiopia, Jordan,Palestine (West Bank and Gaza)Sudan, Syria

AsiaBangladesh, Cambodia, Republic ofChina, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Vietnam

Sub-saharan AfricaBotswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, MozambiqueNigeria, Senegal, South Africa, SwazilandTanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Former Soviet UnionArmenia, Azerbeijan, Belarus, GeorgiaKyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, TadjikistanUkraine, Uzbekistan

BalkanAlbania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Kosovo,Macedonia, Serbia

EUBulgaria, Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Poland,Romania, Slovenia

Latin AmericaArgentina, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico

““WeWe expect these new services that public libraries will be able expect these new services that public libraries will be able to develop with the support from EIFL.net will make a real to develop with the support from EIFL.net will make a real difference to people’s lives. Imagine a farmer in a remote difference to people’s lives. Imagine a farmer in a remote rural community who will be linked up to the latest crop rural community who will be linked up to the latest crop management, imagine a woman with health needs who can management, imagine a woman with health needs who can consult her distant doctor by e-mail. There is no end to the consult her distant doctor by e-mail. There is no end to the social and economic benefits such new services can trigger.”social and economic benefits such new services can trigger.”

(Debrorah Jacobs, Director of the Global Libraries Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

eIFL network - HELPeIFL network - HELP

• How can we together promote the 1st Call for proposals?

• How can we identify, encourage and help those public libraries that have the potential?