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: grant@mcnulty.co.zaCell: +27 76 419 8587

Social cohesion &

inclusion

African languages

Literacy

Local knowledge