AYAD Assignment Summary (Romany Manuell)
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The document outlines the experiences and tasks of an Australian Youth Ambassador assigned to establish a library at Ulei Junior Secondary School in Vanuatu over a 9-month period. Key responsibilities included training staff, improving the collection, and developing library policies, while facing challenges such as limited resources and infrastructure. Achievements included training a counterpart, enhancing library services, and engaging students in ownership of the library space.
AYAD Assignment Summary (Romany Manuell)
- 1. Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Assignment: S chool Librarian Ulei Junior Secondary School Library AYAD Intake 24 Assignment duration: 9 months Ulei, Efate, Vanuatu Romany Manuell
- 2. An overview The School Standard of living Job description The Library Six steps towards establishing the library Achievements Conclusion
- 5. Ulei Junior Secondary School Boarding school Teachers live onsite 200 students 8 teachers & their families Next to Tanaliu Village 40 mins from Port Vila
- 6. Standard of living No hot water (sometimes no running water) Electricity between 6pm and 9pm (usually) No mobile reception in house (ok in library!) House situated between Principal and Bursar Across from the dorms Hitchhiking to/from town on back of truck
- 10. The job description Assist to establish an efficient and functional library Train a counterpart to manage the library effectively Train staff and students Improve the collection Develop a policy and procedures manual Purchase resources for the library within budget Train local staff in library usage including computer research Choose a circulation system: Manual? Digital? Online? Create a computer-based catalogue (use BookCat)? Run Info Lit classes for 200 students? How? Catalogue! Without Web Dewey? What’s Dewey Abridged? Train a librarian? But I’ve only just been trained..! Get books. From where? RESEARCH!!!
- 11. The Library POSITIVES There are books! There are shelves! Some things have Call Numbers! I have lots of willing helpers! I can lead a weeding project! NEGATIVES The books are old Termites, lizard eggs Some things have Call Numbers Classes will continue to run The teachers don’t want to throw anything away
- 12. BEFORE
- 13. BEFORE
- 14. BEFORE
- 15. STEP 1 – Assessment of situation No electricity = no computers Bislama/English communication The school has no money = No budget A system that is as simple as possible = SUSTAINABILITY and we have to work with what we have. (One night of quiet panic)
- 16. STEP 2 - Catalogue and label Get everything off the shelves Separate books into fiction and non-fiction piles Label shelves: fiction, non-fiction, Dewey Put books on shelves if already labelled Assign Dewey numbers Label everything (re-label if necessary) Put everything back on shelves Weed as we go (Months 1-3)
- 18. Paula Jones’ Subject Index and Dewey Guide The kids call it “The Green Book” Allows students and teachers to assign Dewey numbers (and practice English at the same time) Acts as a “catalogue” - tick as you go Purchase from the University of the South Pacific
- 19. STEP 3 – Teach and Train Teach Miss Iapson how to run the library Teach the kids how to: Look after books, label and repair Find, borrow, return and shelve Use the Subject Index & Dewey Guide Run classes for staff (Take over Miss Iapson’s Year 7 English class when she goes on maternity leave…) (Months 4-6)
- 21. STEP 4 – Source new items Petition everybody I know to send books Use blog as advertising Get the Lions Club involved in hometown Ask for new, not second-hand books Buy whatever I can afford from any companies that ship to Vanuatu (wait months for delivery, hitchhike to town to pick up box) Assign numbers and label as they arrive (Months 7-9)
- 22. STEP 5 – Justify the project Collect statistics to show students/staff/AYAD: Monthly borrowing rates – congratulate students! Stock take New item count Justification to self to overcome “challenges”: Keep positive: look at how much fun the kids are having! Write/journal/blog extensively Try to keep things in perspective Obsessively work on resume and selection criteria for future jobs that don’t involve rats/mice/lizards/spiders/giant millipedes (Continuous)
- 24. STEP 6 – Help the students own the space Paint Decorate Put up posters Make signs Work on displays of new books Engage the kids in art/craft activities (Continuous)
- 26. Achievements AYAD Achievements : Trained a counterpart to manage the library effectively Trained staff and students Improved the collection Developed a policy and procedures manual Purchased resources for the library within budget Trained local staff in library usage including computer research Professional Achievements : Project management Collection development and maintenance Interior planning and internal promotion Reference Circulation Reader advisory Teaching and training Professional writing and research
- 27. AFTER
- 28. AFTER
- 30. Conclusion Why choose the AYAD program? What kind of skills/characteristics does it require? MORE INFO ABOUT AYAD? www.ayad.com.au WANT TO READ MORE? www.rombloggy.blogspot.com (archives from 2009) WANT TO SEE MORE PICS? www.facebook.com/romanymanuell (add me)