14May
2012

Kanbawza Libraries~~New Partner

Kanbawza Libraries~~New Partner

   

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May 7, 2012

Myanmar Libraries We Are Assisting

Myanmar Libraries We Are Assisting

Direct library assistance means individual libraries we are helping; Redistribution Libraries means centers sustaining distant town & village libraries through mobile delivery via boat, truck or bullock cart.

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April 30, 2012

Myanmar’s Libraries Future

Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin’s splendid study of Abraham Lincoln’s key cabinet members, could never have been written but for archived letters of their families saved in libraries. Kearns’ influential book about America’s civil war reminds me of another vital role of local libraries. They enable creative writers to re-frame history. Imagine an industrious Monywa scholar in 2060 turning to a private library archive to write a fresh interpretation of Myanmar’s 60 years of civil strife? Will they exist? [...]

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April 2, 2012

RENEWED LIBRARIES PARALLEL RENEWED PARLIAMENT

RENEWED LIBRARIES PARALLEL RENEWED PARLIAMENT

When Nargis Library Recovery began we faced a very uncertain political landscape with possible closure any day. We jockeyed between D.C. and Naypyidaw with little confidence that either capital would allow our venture to progress. And we had no certain supply of books, with no funds to freight them to Yangon even if we got donations.  Three years later we have significant changes in Naypyidaw, much conversation in D.C. about which sanctions to drop, and how soon, plus an ongoing [...]

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March 30, 2012

LIBRARIES SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Nothing seems more self-evident than the idea that libraries should offer information about the world in which we live. In democratic societies citizens and students normally visit their neighborhood library to catch up on civic activities as well as political events. They become “the citizens’ news store.” April 1 marks Myanmar’s first by-election under the new constitution, so I offer this critique of candidates and constituencies in which they are competing. This posting is brings to our readers the most [...]

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February 19, 2012

Our Myanmar Books for Mandalay Libraries

Our Myanmar Books for Mandalay Libraries

Popular LiteratureVery Library Needs These Stamping Before Giving

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February 17, 2012

Our Mandalay Book Fair Donations

Our Mandalay Book Fair Donations

As you know from previous postings, we are able to purchase Myanmar language texts and reference books because of MBAPF’s success in staging book fairs. Two weeks ago Thant organized one in Mandalay’s newest mall, using lobby space rented from the owners at a sharply reduced rate. This kind of support from many Myanmar businesses really stretches our cash donations.  People who buy books at our book fairs are donating kyats so we can buy Myanmar language texts, dictionaries and [...]

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February 5, 2012

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January 31, 2012

Our Three Library Readers Workshops

Check out Jack Simpson’s blog following our Library Readers workshops organized by Gayle Holmes and Sue Simpson. I am grateful for financial support offered by the  Opportunity Foundation and the considerable effort by the leadership of MBAPF in organizing this pedagogical experiment in Bogalay, Yangon and Mandalay! Over ninety participants–librarians, teachers, administrators and monks–learned how to teach early readers through a method that invites children and readers alike to ease into English through imaginative games that Gayle and her husband, [...]

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January 30, 2012

Pre-Entrepreneurial Children’s Library in India

Pre-Entrepreneurial Children’s Library in India

As with Little Mouse publishing and library support in Laos, I find this innovation by an Indian NGO very interesting, and worth applying in Myanmar. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4579   India’s Hippocampus Writes a New Chapter for Children’s Libraries Published: March 24, 2011 in India Knowledge@Wharton In 1998, Umesh Malhotra, then an employee of Infosys Technologies, did a year-long consulting stint in the United States. He lived in the Bay Area of California with his wife and then-five year old son. The book-loving [...]

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January 28, 2012

STELLAR STUDENT MANAGED LIBRARIES

STELLAR STUDENT MANAGED LIBRARIES

Scattered in Myanmar’s two largest cities~~Yangon and Mandalay~~ are a dozen student-created and managed lending libraries. Each has the unique stamp of the young trustees who dreamed up their project. In each case, they came to our partner, Myanmar Book and Preservation Foundation, seeking books and in several instances, funding to expand their capacity. The photos that follow reveal a new generation of bright young men and women who tested among the top secondary school graduates, and applied for study [...]

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January 28, 2012

Monastic Schools for Orphans in the delta

Monastic Schools for Orphans in the delta

I visited a dozen monastery-based schools where some of our English language books languish on shelves. Only a very few are used by advanced students; the vast majority of orphans and kids attending these schools have had no exposure to English, either spoken or written. All are gaining literacy in Burmese, but for those curious about literature, history or any knowledge beyond their basic texts [which cost between $1 and $1.70 for all required subjects], very few Myanmar language books [...]

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January 27, 2012

KEY ROLE OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES

KEY ROLE OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES

Behind every local or neighborhood library in Myanmar are local trustees. Often unseen by users, yet they are crucial to the success of the library. Most frequently they are entrepreneurs~~business men and women who usually sustain one or more monasteries. Their influence in the community overlaps with senior monks, health professionals,  and government officials.                  Bogalay’s Tint Aung Library T

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January 27, 2012

Myanmar’s Seventh Step to Democracy

Readers familiar with Ingmar Bergman’s Seventh Seal as well as the Book of Revelations know the magic associated with the number seven. Without comparing its role in Buddhist-associated numerology, I believe General Khin Nyunt chose “Seven Steps to Democracy” as his plan to move Myanmar from 20th Century military rule to 21st Century democracy because of the magical power associated with the number. When appointed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt seemed secure as the experienced director of Military Intelligence, but in 2004 [...]

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December 12, 2011

World Vision Report on Library Construction in 2011

Report for 20 reading rooms   Report For 20 Reading Rooms in Delta     World Vision Myanmar (21st November 2011) Background   Approximately 2.4 million people[1] were severely affected when Cyclone Nargis hitMyanmar in May 2008, affecting 3 divisions (Ayeyarwady,Yangon and Bago) and 2 states (Kayin and Mon). Townships in Ayeyarwady were the hardest hit. Cyclone Nargis caused extensive loss of life and physical damage. Approximately 84,537 people died, another 53,836 went missing and 33,754 suffered injuries.   World [...]

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