Cheering up the place

Mount Pleasant Branch Library is looking much more cheerful with the addition of a lovely big wall sticker from fellow Mount Pleasant Resident Greg Pozzo (a gift through his company PacPrint). Thank you Greg and as they say in chiShona 'namangwana' (and again tomorrow). Here it is-

The storytelling corner is also coming along v v v nicely....more on that in another blog.

Networking with School Librarians from across Harare

What a fabulous time we had at the US Embassy Public Affairs Section. School Librarians from over 10 schools attended a short sharing and learning session. I had been invited to talk about what we are doing at Harare City Library as well as share my experiences of story telling with the group.

I was rather nervous.

I had no need to be. Everyone was keen and eager. I used the star apple story as group work and what fabulous ideas we had to localise and adapt it for our children here in Zimbabwe and the different age groups (there were primary and secondary school in attendance). Thanks so much to the Scottish Storytelling Center in Edinburgh for sharing their resources so freely online as well as Bea Ferguson from whom the story activity was adapted (who in turn heard it from David Campbell........)

The apple became a green egg with a ball inside for the younger children..and a planet with lots  of people inside (or was it a space ship???) for the older children. How imaginative is that. And the protagonist in the story went on so many adventures on the way to solving the mystery, I cannot wait to hear this story retold at the schools. I hope I get a chance to visit - my day job is getting in the way of all this FUN :D

Some pictures below.

Taking the group through what we are doing at Harare City Library

Group work to discuss the Star Apple Story

Listening to the story being retold in the group before presenting the highlights to the whole group

Helping to celebrate International School Library month

Well, this is another busy school term in Zimbabwe and an opportunity to see how storytelling can fit in at the library.

One hopeful new development is that I have been invited to a workshop to talk to school librarians from Mashonaland about what we are doing at the library. This should be fun and a chance to share experiences and ideas. I hope it results in some synergies between school and public library spaces. I think this is critical.

For reading at HCL, we have decided on just 3 friday afternoons at Mount Pleasant to tell a tale or two. No idea if this will work out, the branch staff feel Friday is a good day for this so we are testing it out. We have sent a notification to a few schools around the library and some small paper bookmarks to give to children who come in to change their books. There is also a notice up at the library. It is all food for thought and helps in the planning for next year. Thursday reading at the Main Library has also been put on hold until after the exams.

However, I am beginning to think that Fridays only work in Term 1 (January to March). I am also thinking we might need to fit in over school holidays in December, April and August. My head tells me one Saturday a month for 2013, with different themes and maybe different age groups. Anyhoo....Here are the dates for reading at Mount Pleasant Branch. Come along if you can.

Date (put it in your diary!)	The Feature Story
Friday 26th October From 2pm to 3pm	Aesop’s Fables & Tales from Africa
Friday 9th November From 2pm to 3pm	The Jays New Feathers & Other stories
Friday 30th November From 2pm to 3pm	Around the World with Possum Magic

Artists and the MP

What an especially busy and interesting weekend.
On Saturday I spent an hour or two weeding the children's books at the Mount Pleasant Branch. Whilst I was there local artists Christine Ndoro and Tich Majena (of the Suburban News that kindly gave the library several months of free columns space to write about the library) began painting the story telling corner. They are working with my friend and fellow library volunteer Chipo Nzonzo. What a networker she is, several people passed by to say hie and find out what was happening. That is exactly what we need, curious people. I am sure this corner is going to be done in a week or two so here is the before picture (again) and I hope to WOW you soon with the finished mural.

On Sunday (today) I was very lucky to attend a lunch organised by my friend and fellow HCL committee member Devi Pakkiri (and incidently one of the three Ministry appointed librarians) to which a number of Mabelreign residents, including our local MP Jesse Majome, were also there. The idea was to raise some funds for Mabelreign and fix it up as the floor, windows and general space is really quite broken down. What a lovely idea and one I might consider myself ($10 a head, volunteers to bring the food so little cost there and a hosting house with lots of space to chat and meet). Should be covered by The Suburban monthly newspaper so look out for that article.

Our lovely MP Jesse told me she is a former Albert Beit School student and has memories of using the now dilapidated space and is firmly on board to support the effort (she is already organising book for school libraries in her constituency). I look forward to this collaboration. I have a vision for a mural on the outside library wall at Mabelreign. I am hoping that together we can make this happen.

In addition, a very dynamic chap called Arthur Shaba is very community minded (recently showcased in The Daily News) and is working across the Mabelreign community. We agreed to find a way to help each other in our mutual efforts.  I also met a lovely lady who teaches part time at Westridge School and who would would like to get involved, especially literacy support, from early new year. Fab!

So the story continues and both Mount Pleasant and Mabelreign are seeing progress. All community led, all driven by volunteers. How seriously cool is that?

DailyGood: The Habit of Starting, by Leo Babauta

DailyGood: The Habit of Starting, by Leo Babauta

Articles like this keep me going :-)