Library of Alexandria - News from Egypt

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Press release from the library director:

• Director’s Statement to Our friends Around the World: The Events in Egypt
• 30 Jan 2011
• The world has witnessed an unprecedented popular action in the streets of Egypt, led by Egypt’s youth with their justified demands for more freedom, more democracy, lower prices for necessities and more employment opportunities. Youth demanded immediate and far-reaching changes. This was met by violent conflicts with the police, who were routed. The army was called in and was welcomed by the demonstrators, but initially their presence was more symbolic than active. Events deteriorated as lawless bands of thugs, and maybe agents provocateurs, appeared and looting began. The young people organized themselves into groups that directed traffic, protected neighborhoods and guarded public buildings of value such as the Egyptian Museum and the Library of Alexandria. They are collaborating with the army. This makeshift arrangement is in place until full public order returns.
  
  
  The library is safe thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters. I am there daily within the bounds of the curfew hours. However, the Library will be closed to the public for the next few days until the curfew is lifted and events unfold towards an end to the lawlessness and a move towards the resolution of the political issues that triggered the demonstrations.
   
  Ismail Serageldin
  Librarian of Alexandria
  Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

William Kamkwamba and Library Book on Windmills

Here's a video you MUST WATCH and SHARE widely. See Daily Show with William Kamkwamba

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
William Kamkwamba
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

See also the powerful ABC Interview on how William had to drop out of school, so he looked through the school library and found a book on energy from the wind... Now, neighbors come to his home to power up cell phones thanks to the windmill that William built.

See also the Public Library Association e-mail interview with village school librarian Ms. Edith Sikelo. Be sure to share William's story!

More on William Kamkwamba is available on Ted.com

Friends of West African Village Libraries

Santa Clara University is working with the Friends of African Village Libraries, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to reading material and other information in rural villages in sub-Saharan Africa. FAVL refurbishes community-donated buildings, buys books by local authors, sending donated books, and pays librarian salaries.

CSU is offering a Semester Abroad Program called "Burkina Faso: Reading West Africa Program". Program Director is Michael Kevane. Here is the Semester Abroad description: "The Santa Clara University Fall Semester Study Abroad/Immersion in Burkina Faso is a study abroad program for students with at least one year of university-level French or equivalent interested in combining academic work on the literature and development challenges of West Africa with immersion and community-based learning experiences in public libraries in small towns and villages in rural areas. Students spend the first six weeks of the program in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, the second six weeks in a rural village in southwestern Burkina Faso, a week in Dogon country, on the Burkina-Mali border, and a final two weeks back in Ouagadougou."

A portion of the CSU student learning experience includes living in a village for six weeks and working with FAVL to create two books for village libraries. Students will learn photography in order to capture local images, publishing software, and preparing books for printing a small print run.
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Footnote 1: E-Book readers such as Amazon.com's Kindle and the One-Laptop-Per-Child computer can provide thousands of books to each library. The Internet Archive is a powerful source of free, open content.

Footnote 2: The FAVL effort reminds me of several books: Masha Hamiltons' "The Camel Bookmobile" (Kenya) and Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's book "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time." (Pakistan and Afganistan)

Footnote 3: See also July 18, 2007 San Jose Mercury News article on SCU and FAVL.