Join us for our next ILCE-IG meeting!

Date: Monday, May 12th

Time: 2-3:30pm

Location: CLIC Offices, 7400 E. Arapahoe Rd, Centennial, CO 80112

          As a media specialist in Pueblo City Schools, I was fortunate to make a return trip to Lesotho, Africa to work with the Laptops to Lesotho project.  Laptops to Lesotho’s purpose is to raise funds and facilitate the distribution of One Laptop Per Child XO laptops to children in rural Lesotho.  My first trip in January of 2013, involved working with a team to train teachers at two elementary schools on how to use the laptops to teach the children critical thinking and problem solving skills.  The team’s most recent trip in March instructed students in grades one through seven on how to use the laptops to reinforce and improve their math skills.  Both students and teachers were enthusiastic about using the laptops, which used solar power to operate.

          Through the use of a server, in the near future, students will have access to e-books, Wikipedia, Khan Academy, and other resources students in rural Africa seldom have access to.  With few libraries available in rural Lesotho, the use of the laptop will give students greater access to literature. 

          To learn more about the mission and projects of Laptops to Lesotho visit, or to donate visit www.laptopstolesotho.org.

A new paper was just published on ILCE-IG’s ‘Papers, Publications and Presentations’ page! Nancy Bolt recently visited the Philippines as an IFLA committee member. She was also able to attend the 1st International Conference of Public Libraries, sponsored by the National Library of the Philippines, which focused on the theme of “The Role of Libraries in Serving People with Disabilities.” The speakers were wide ranging with both librarians and non-librarians sharing stories and information about library service to target groups variously called special populations, people with disabilities (PWD), or people differently- abled (PDA). Click here to read more:  The Role of Libraries in Serving Persons With Disabilities.

This slide show was prepared by Nancy Bolt and shows the damage and destruction to the public libraries in the Philippines that resulted from the earthquake on October 15th.

<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”https://www.slideshare.net/Nancybolt16/devastation-in-the-philippines-rev-4-4-14&#8243; title=”Devastation in the philippines, rev 4 4 14″ target=”_blank”>Devastation in the philippines, rev 4 4 14</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/Nancybolt16&#8243; target=”_blank”>Nancybolt16</a></strong> </div>

Friends and fans of all things French gathered at the Denver Central Library February 21 to admire the exhibit – En Face, L’Amerique – featuring photographs and artifacts from Denver’s Sister City, Brest, France.

The exhibit highlights photos which show the consequences of war — Brest was largely destroyed in World War II — as well photos that show the resurgence of this Naval city located in Northwestern France. Modern photos feature the Brest American Football Team posing in landmarks around the city.   

Brest became Denver’s Sister City in 1948 after local schoolchildren raised thousands of dollars to help rebuild the city. A donation of books helped rebuild the war-ravaged town’s library. 

One young girl who donated a book was Denver native and local author Marne Davis Kellogg.  Marne attended the reception at the Library and mingled with other guests who marveled at the exhibit and sampled French and American appetizers including pastries and crudité.  

Brest is Denver’s first official Sister City and was only the second established in the U.S. 

En Face, L’Amerique: City of Brest, France is on display through April 27, Western History/Genealogy, Level Five, Denver Central Library.

Submitted by Dianne Lapierre, Director

Community Relations

Friends Foundation

Denver Public Library

A very early morning.  Lily picked me up at 5:30am for a 9am flight.  Traffic not quite as bad at that time of the day.   At the airport, Lily hands me off to staff at the National Libraries of the Philippines (NLP).   About 15 NLP staff are already there.   Much photo-taking ensued.  

It only took at hour to get from Manila to Cebu City and then to the Elizabeth Hotel, the conference site.

I had a chance today to have some really good conversations with a number of librarians.  I probably should say that I took notes and have tried to be accurate about names and titles, and details about libraries.   If I get it wrong, please let me know.

I had an opportunity to talk to Dolores (Dolly) Carungui,  Chief of the NLP Reference Division which includes services to special populations such as blind and print handicapped, children’s services, and international cooperation and Nona Yauder, Director of Public Library Services which is very similar to a US state library agency library development unit.   Overall, the services of NLP are very similar to those of most state libraries in the United States – consulting, training, networking, services to special groups such as blind and print handicapped, a reference collection  — and most important leadership for local libraries and advocacy with government agencies and officials.   Nona said that there are 89 provinces (similar to US states) in the Philippines but only 59 have libraries.  One of NLPs tasks is to convince municipal officials to establish a library.  Their law 7743, passed in 1994, provides for the establishment of libraries but has never been funded.

On the bus to the hotel, Dolly asked me what I wanted to do in the afternoon.  I asked her if she didn’t have something better to do than spend the afternoon with me she said NLP Director Tony Santos had told her that her job was to take care of me – and she did.   She was my “go to” person for every aspect of my trip.   The Filipinos are a model for good hospitality.  So we went shopping to purchase interesting jewelry.

Dinner was 30 librarians descending on an unsuspecting restaurant which actually accommodated us fairly easily.   I asked for fried fish but ended up with a baked milkfish with a superb tangy vegetable sauce; a fried fish plate with about four kinds of fish and enough to serve about four people; AND a whole, stuffed squid

Over dinner, I had a chance to talk with Ruth Chua, Director of the Cebu City Public Library.   She has seven staff and she is the only professional.   Ruth has a Family Literacy Program that is reaching 25 low income families.  For three months they meet with the mothers and children once a week, teach the mothers how to read to their children, and help them select and check out books.   After three months, the parents did not want to stop so next time they will have the program for five months.   They are doing this on their own with volunteers – no special grants

I also had a discussion with Nona about a curious aspect of Philippine library law.    She had asked me earlier if librarians were responsible for the books in the library.   I said, yes, they are, thinking in general terms.  Well it turns this has a more literal meaning in the Philippines.  The librarian is personally responsible – as in they take the cost of the book out of the librarian’s salary.  With that fiscal consequence, I asked why any librarian would ever lend any book.   The answer – well some don’t and expensive books are held in locked cases.

Today’s cultural observation.  Filipinos are very polite, respectful, yet informal.   People are called by their first name.   I’m Miss Nancy or just mam, pronounced as if it were “Mahm.”   It makes it easy for me.   In Bulgaria where I often visit and teach, it is polite to address everyone by their last name and their long, multi-syllable names defeat me.   I’m always afraid I’m offending them when I default to the first name.   Here, it is relief to be able to be polite with a Miss Dolly or Miss Nona or Miss Ruth.

Tomorrow the conference actually starts.