Biennial International Best Practices Summit

This weeklong gathering is a platform for ALP Partners, the local African-based organizations we partner with, the opportunity to exchange best practices. Every other year, our Partner community comes together to strategize on how to strengthen library work. There are engaging and thoughtful discussions on how to be more effective in improving library development. Past summits have revolutionized Partner operations and ALP libraries, such as the implementation of Culture Corners in many ALP libraries. 

2024 Summit

The next Summit will be in March 2024. The African Library Project is delighted that the Kenyan partners, Kibabii University and Rongo University, will be hosting all of ALP’s partnering organizations, core staff and volunteers, and local teacher-librarians. Most of the activities will take place in Migori County in the Southwestern region of Kenya. If you are a representative of an ALP Partner organization, please refer to the Global ALP chat for more details and/or contact your Country Liaison for details! 

The African Library Project supports the attendance of Partners and Teacher-Librarians through its donations. If you want to donate to support the summit, please learn how here.

What’s a Culture Corner?

A Culture Corner is an area of the library that displays items from the community and helps preserve local cultures. Many ALP libraries keep a table or area to display traditional tools, foods, crafts, clothing, weapons, and/or household objects. Typically, objects are labelled in the local language and/or English.

Many Botswana primary school libraries build a low round wall in the library to house their Culture Corner and represent a rondavel. A rondavel is a traditional circular structure or hut with a dry grass roof, popular in Southern Africa. Cultural Corners are a welcoming area for people of all ages, and oftentimes used as a space for telling stories. 

Culture Corners became a best practice among ALP libraries and is included in the ALP Librarian Manual, “How to Set Up and Run a Small Library in Africa” (page 122). The idea was shared during a Best Practices Summit and is now a common addition to many libraries to help carry on a library’s community history and traditions.