Kathmandu Post

Editorial»

Gateways to knowledge

NOV 12 -
Development of libraries is one among the many needs in the education sector that is still in its infancy. Libraries across the country—roughly classified to urban and rural community libraries, public libraries, donor-funded libraries, academic libraries and school libraries—have grown mostly due to private, communal and INGO efforts. Government initiative on the other hand has been poor as there is no formal recognition of libraries as institutions till date, ever since the first community libraries were established in the 1950s. In recent Nepali history, the development of libraries across the country suffered at the beginning of the insurgency, with one long established community library in Beni that was destroyed in battle between Maoist and government forces, serving as a symbol. The end of the insurgency may have let the issue of literacy and library development come to the fore, but the lack of legislation and a national library policy has deprived existing ones of a national standard.

Research by Nepal Library Foundation (NLF) — an international agency registered as a charity with the Government of Canada — indicates that in the absence of national standards, problems such as poor library planning and the inability to support specific needs persist. It is no wonder then that children’s libraries in remote villages, for instance, sometimes oddly boast singular copies of heavy western philosophy — not the most useful provision for primary school children hardly conversant in the English language. Besides lacking in design and plan, poor technical and management skills among library

staff hinder existing resources from being fully utilised, or perhaps even lead to resources being misused. Government bodies such as the National Planning Commission may have made statements along the lines of encouraging local bodies to open and run libraries, but with little evidence to show for serious action, such declarations seem fruitless. Comprehensive work can only be seen in some training programmes and workshops conducted by INGOs and while these are encouraging, they are not enough.

The under-recognition of libraries as formal institutions reflects upon blindness towards their vitality as a public resource, and as UNESCO states, of them being “the foundation for social, economic and environmental progress in developing countries”. The government needs to look past a history that once condemned libraries as seditious places. Instead, libraries can function as public spaces that add vibrancy to the intellectual growth of the nation. The work of NGOs and private efforts in promoting a library culture are neither enough nor sustainable. We need a functional library policy to open this gateway to knowledge to all the communities. Just like the health post, libraries will one day be seen as an essential institution in every village, town or city. This will require massive investment — from building infrastructure to equipping the libraries with books so that any curious mind can access the vast reservoir of knowledge humankind has accumulated ever since writing first came into existence.

Posted on: 2011-11-13 09:17

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