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? [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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

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 [...]