Lubuto Libraries
A Lubuto library is a special place designed for street kids and other marginalized children and youth in Africa. In the safe haven of the library, children can look at books, be read to and read for themselves. They can develop their talents and express themselves through the visual and performing arts, or communicate and learn with OLPC laptops. They can receive mentoring and guidance and participate in programs on health and the environment. Lubuto libraries open the world to children with no opportunities, allowing them to explore their heritage and learn about others through varied and enriching library programs.
Lubuto library buildings use vernacular design to give children profound and rich spaces—a ‘home’ in which to read and learn. A refuge from their harsh life, the comfortable, usable library lets children be just children with books to help them dream, imagine and envision a better future.
Lubuto library programs give children excluded from school the opportunity to learn to read and progress with their education. Knowing that society provides a safe place for them and cares about their welfare, and given opportunities for self-expression, vulnerable children begin to develop self-confidence. Lubuto libraries play the same role in their host communities that libraries played traditionally in the US, opening the doors of opportunity for marginalized people while providing valuable resources for communities to flourish. That the Lubuto libraries focus on the youngest and most vulnerable members of society makes their impact especially powerful.
Through programs in reading, storytelling, health, performing arts, visual arts, XO laptops, motivational mentoring and more, Lubuto libraries offer services in which youth and adults from every level of society can participate. The resulting interaction establishes and strengthens ties between vulnerable children and their communities centered around a communal approach to learning, helping to meet local challenges creatively.
Lubuto Library Book Collections Are Special
The Lubuto Library Project® is not simply a book donation program. The project is unique in providing comprehensive library collections of expertly selected and organized children's books. With the guidance of professional children’s librarians, gifts of books from corporations, publishers and individuals are cataloged by volunteers and shipped as a self-ready collection. On delivery, a complete 4,000-volume children’s library is available, organized according to the Lubuto Classification System©.
This core collection is just the beginning of the life of a Lubuto library. Local language materials are identified and added, and new materials keep the library ‘alive’. Because of a dearth of children’s materials in print in Zambian languages, Lubuto partnered with the Zambia Library Association to establish the Zambian Board on Books for Young People, whose goal is to bring together writers, illustrators, publishers, and educators to produce high-quality bilingual literature for children and youth.
Offering a wide array of culturally appropriate and high quality children's books, Lubuto’s shelves contain world-class collections. In addition, the project trains Lubuto librarians with materials adapted to fit the local conditions under which the library operates. In addition to teaching Lubuto’s specialized classification system, instruction includes strategies for delivering innovative services and programs adapted to the specific needs of street children. Training also includes approaches to evaluation, local public outreach and solicitation of feedback on the collections, which is essential to maintain targeted and effective services in any library environment.
View some of the books inscribed especially for the children of Lubuto Libraries (pdf 2.5MB)
