Re: Libraries and social development/
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Joined: 2 Mar 2011
Re: libraries and social development
Milena, you took part last year in an information literacy project for youth raised in social institutions. It's par excellence a library project for social development. May be you could share some information about the challenges, the outcomes and the folow ups of that project....
Actually that project was quite a challenge 
It took a lot of efforts, but it was a really fulfilling initiative. There were two groups of young people (18 - 35 years old), who spent all their lives in social institutions. Unfortunately, because of the low quality of services in social institutions the participants in the project had a very poor level of information literacy and they hadn't visited a library in their lives. Among them there were gypsies and people with mental or physical disabilities.
As a start of the project we did a research on their needs. We realized that they don't know how to use a computer or how to browse in Internet, they don't know what a library can offer, they hardly know how to find a job, write a CV and apply for a job. So we organized and focused our activities during the project on these topics.
During our first meetings we met a very serious challenge - the lack of motivation. The difficulties and obstacles in the lives of these young people had taken their strength and will for development and replaced them with doubts and insecurity. For me the motivation enhancement was the hardest part of the project. We tried hard to make those people believe that there is a practical sense of learning new things.
At the end, luckily, some of our participants got interviews, few of them got jobs during the project and a part of them still visits the public library.
We are planning another project with new participants. But because we became friends with last year's youth, we want to include them as trainers of the new ones. I think in that way we support their long-term social development.
There are so many people in need of information literacy! The question is are the public libraries prepared enough for that?
Yes, the motivation was the hardest thing but is was worthy.
It was a completely new world for these youth and some of them are still e-mailing us.
Are the public libraries prepared to deliver information literacy for such groups? It's a difficult question. There are libraries which are doing that, but there are many which do not recognize information literacy instruction as their core activity...
I thought that it's a Bulgarian problem but last summet at the World Congress in Goteborg I realized that there is a resistance from the side of the librarians world wide:))
So, we need to talk and to write more about that libraries' new responsibility. It could be seen as a new niche for the public libraries and as an opportunity for them to face the challenges of the digital culture we are living in and to rearrange their agendas in accordance to our time... If they would like to survive:)
So there is a problem with the librarian's motivation too Don't forget that it's a low paid profession everywhere.
Unfortunately that is true but libraries should explore alternative funding through projects, partnerships, networking, cooperative resourses, etc.
And new management styles, of course...
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