Knowledge-sharing event for public librarians who have completed EIFL training of trainers programmes in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia 

Public librarians who have completed training-of-trainers programmes organised by the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) team and its partners in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia, as well as participants of the Initiative for Young African Library Innovators, are invited to attend this informal knowledge-sharing event, a 'T-break', where 'T' stands for 'trainers'. The event will focus on the development of local digital cultural content.

Guest speaker Chimwemwe Sumani, Project Coordinator at Rei Foundation Limited (RFL), will share her experience of creating Malawi Folktales and Folksongs Database, focusing on the identification, documentation, preservation and dissemination of folktales and folksongs. She works on RFL-supported projects in Malawi and beyond, specialising in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), culture, archiving and sound and audiovisual areas. Prior to joining REI, she worked at the Malawi National Library Service (NLS) for ten years.

Guest speaker Ralph Mwawa, Head of the NLS's ICT Department, will discuss how public libraries in Malawi use the database, as well as exploring the potential integration of digital folklore content into public library programmes across Africa. He has been involved in managing the Malawi Folklore Database since its inception and is responsible for its analysis, design, implementation, usage and maintenance.

There will be time for questions and answers, feedback and sharing of good practice at the end of the T-break. 

The aim of the T-breaks is to refresh the trainers’ knowledge, share practical experiences and to build a local and cross-border support network of public library trainers. Since 2017, EIFL has trained over 90 public librarians in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia to become trainers, and they have cascaded the training to over 2,300 librarians in their countries.