A digital model for public libraries in Africa
Priorities of African public libraries in the digital age
Provide access to relevant information
Promote and support literacy
Attract non-traditional
users to the library
Show libraries’ contributions
to society
Engage communities & collaborate
Challenges for African public libraries in the digital age
Show libraries’ contributions to society
Attract non-traditional users
to the library
Provide access to relevant
information
Promote & support
literacy
Engage communities &
collaborate
The Butterfly Effect
1 website 2 libraries1 language
6 people
5000+ pages/ day
24 030 Facebook fans
1 347 356 pages
(in 9 months)
686 articles
Overview
• The Ulwazi Programme
• iAfrika
• What is it?
• What does it do?
• Meeting government and stakeholder priorities
• Meeting library-specific priorities
• Your library on iAfrika?
Uses existing library infrastructure to
engage communities
We developed the Ulwazi Programme with eThekwini Public Libraries
Trains fieldworkers to create content
Provides access – users read info about
eThekwini in isiZulu on mobile devices
People want…
Easy access to information on their
phones
Information relevant to them - their histories, cultures, identities - in their own languagesHow could public
libraries offer this?
What is iAfrika?
• A mobile website
• A digital library of local knowledge:
• 650+ isiZulu articles
• Deal with history, culture and customs
What does it do?
• Trains people to create digital content
• Provides access to relevant info (about history, culture, identity)to people in their own languages
• Engages communities on issues relevant to them
• Enables access to many people
iAfrika – Training in Action!
Provides access to information to people in their own languages
Linguistic Communities: Most isiZulu-
speaking visitors from KwaZulu-Natal (some
from Joburg & Cape Town)
Engages communities and stimulates dialogue
Requests for clan histories on Facebook
Active forums for discussion/
comments
Enables access to many people
2019 MAR Apr May Jun Jul AUG
Increasing demand and visitors –• Mar 2019: 33 105 visitors looked at 95 896 pages • Aug 2019: 51 758 visitors looked at 161, 588 pages
Meeting government and stakeholder priorities
Contribute to social
cohesion & inclusion
Promote local African
languages
LIS Policy DAC White Paper*
NDP UN SDGs
* 3rd Draft
• iAfrika recognises community knowledge and culture, which supports:• A local sense of identity• Mutual understanding across
different groups of people• Results in a more cohesive and inclusive
society
• iAfrika recognises African languages and supports multi-language contributions
• This promotes linguistic diversity and ensures that local knowledge and African languages have a stronger public presence
Meeting government and stakeholder priorities
LIS Policy DAC White Paper*
NDP UN SDGs
* 3rd Draft
• iAfrika provides access to a knowledge resource in people’s own languages
• This supports broad-based reading, digital and information literacy
• These types of literacies are important for economic growth and for participating in a knowledge society / economy
• iAfrika promotes an alternative approach to top-down knowledge management
• Community contributions in local African languages result in knowledge that has significance for local communities
Improve access to local
knowledge
Support literacy (digital,
information, reading)
Meeting new government priorities cont.
Skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Meeting library-specific priorities
Attract non-traditional users
to the library
Give them opportunities for self-expression &
creativity
Promote literacy and encourage a
library habit
Offer an information
service of local & linguistic relevance
My library on iAfrika?
The Butterfly Effect
1 website 2 libraries1 language
6 people
5000+ pages/ day
24 030 Facebook fans
1 347 356 pages
(in 9 months)
686 articles
About McNulty Consulting
McNulty Consulting partners with communities and organisations to develop and promote access to cultural resources in Africa.
Please visit our website at www.mcnulty.co.za for further information and contact us to start a discussion.
Dr Grant McNulty
Email: [email protected]: +27 76 419 8587
Social cohesion &
inclusion
African languages
Literacy
Local knowledge
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