Establishing a high school library

by Katie Hannan on Sep 08, 2009

1,157 views

Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) is an Australian Government Program funded by AusAID. Every year the program sends 400 young Australians into developing nations in the Asia Pacific Region. Epi High School is a secondary school on the island of Epi in the Shefa province of Vanuatu. The college enrols students from 11 to 16 years of age. In 2003 the school was severely damaged by Cyclone Ivy. With assistance from the Australian Government some new buildings were built, including a library building. The author worked for five months assisting the school librarian to establish the library; improving the libraries collection, developing budget guidelines and training the students and staff in using and maintaining a library effectively.During the course of this time, a myriad of challenges were faced and overcome.

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Establishing a high school library — Presentation Transcript

Katie Hannan
ESTABLISHING A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY ON A
REMOTE ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC

2 ½ years in the same job
Time for a change
Desire to make a difference
Turning 30
Visit to Suva public library in Fiji
made me realise how much my skills
could assist libraries in developing
countries.
MOTIVATION

BACKGROUND
In 2004 Cyclone Ivy destroyed many schools and villages in Vanuatu
AusAID provided financial support for repairing and upgrading educational infrastructure

LOCATION
The AYAD program funded a 6 month position for a Librarian at Epi High School
The School is located in Lamen Bay, a small village to the NE of Epi Island
Epi is a small island with a population of around 5000 people
Lamen bay has an airport, a postal service, a few small stores, a market house and a hospital half an hours’ walk away.

THE JOB
Assist with the establishment of a new AusAID funded library
Work with staff to determine resources and budgets
Assist with setting up the library computer system
Train counterpart(s) in the use of the library computer system
Train students and staff in how to utilise and maintain a library effectively

ASSIGNMENT OUTCOMES
Establish an efficient and functional library
Train a counterpart who will be able to manage the library effectively
Train college staff and students on how to use a library
Improve the collection of resources in the library
Develop a policy and procedures manual
Purchase resources for the library within the current budget

So many smiles,
so much creativity!

REALITY CHECK
Communication Systems
Electricity
Transport

TRANSPORT
Inter and intra Island transport options were limited:
Truck
Plane
Cargo boat
Outrigger Canoe
Outboard
Yacht (if you can afford it!)

THE LIBRARY
New building
Purpose built
Lots of natural light
Plenty of shelving
Library Monitors
Extended opening hours
Library classes
South Pacific Curriculum

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Maintenance
Cataloguing
Budget
Publishers

PERSONAL CHALLENGES
Isolation
Language barriers
Skin colour
Boredom
Loneliness
Island time

SUCCESS
Delivered extensive training to 3 counterparts and 12 school library monitors.
Catalogued so many books that I couldn’t count them
Developed a library policy and procedures manual
Set up a display area in the library
Rearranged all the collections in the library so that they were more accessible by library users

IN CONCLUSION
Relationship building
Organisation
Creativity
Project management
Small boxes
A sense of humour

Tangkiu tumas (Bislama)
For further information please contact me:
Email: katie@lost.net.au
Web: http://lost.net.au/
More photos: http://flickr.com/photos/katie_hannan/collections/72157601947726418/
AYAD: http://www.ayad.com.au/aspx/home.aspx
AusAID: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/

References
Austraining International Pty Ltd (2007). What is AYAD? Retrieved from http://www.ayad.com.au/aspx/what_is_ayad.aspx
Harewood, J., Chinula, T., & Talbot, V. (2006). Vanuatu & New Caledonia (5th ed.). Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet.
Hughes, D. (2004). Reflecting on Early Literacy Development in the Context of Vanuatu. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 5(3), 349-360.

Establishing a high school library

by Katie Hannan on Sep 08, 2009

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Establishing a high school library — Presentation Transcript