Join this interactive session led by six young public librarians from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, and Zambia, who have come to the Next Library 2019 as part of IYALI, the Initiative for Young African Library Innovators.

Globally public libraries are shifting towards more active role in addressing social challenges in their communities and contribution to sustainable development. The wider mission has pushed libraries into rethinking their role and responsibility amid multitude of social challenges and tensions that affect people’s lives locally and globally, such as growth of violence, migration and population displacement; extreme poverty; ill health and unhealthy lifestyles; poor education; illiteracy; unemployment; especially among the youth, climate change and others. As we share real-life experiences and challenges for libraries from different continents, countries and cultures we can deepen our understanding of social challenges and tensions in different communities, and become more successful in prevention of social crisis.

We will invite you to share, discuss, and learn from each other successes and mistakes in efforts to help communities address critical challenges. Questions to discuss may include, but not limited to: What social challenges are critical to our communities? What public libraries from different countries are doing, can and should be doing? What our successes and failures? Are some of social challenges beyond library’s reach?

Facilitators

 IYALI(the Young African Library Innovators initiative2019): 
Hayford Siaw, Executive Director (AG) of the Ghana Library Authority, Ghana
Kennedy Rutoh, Senior ICT Assistant at Kenya National Library Service / Narok Public Library, Kenya
Jemmimah Maragwa, Librarian in charge at Kenya National Library Service / Embu Public Library, Kenya
Claret Misika, Senior Librarian at Omungwelume Community Library, Namibia
Constance Chilipa, Provincial Librarian at Solwezi Zambia Library Service Provincial Library, Zambia
Mary Mubanga Mamba, Provincial Librarian at Mongu Zambia Library Service Provincial Library, Zambia

Assisting team – EIFL: Ramune Petchuvaite, Rima Kupryte & Edvaldas Baltrunas