The foundation was a recipient of grants from the Gates Foundation and NASSCOM Foundation, for strengthening librarian’s leadership capacities and reposition libraries as lifelong knowledge centres for one and all. By design, the initiatives have focused on strengthening leadership abilities, thinking out of the box, initiate services and envision libraries for community development.

Synergies and Leveraging opportunities: Two key aspects, understanding community needs – delivering of need-based services and its alignment with IFLA’s UN-SDGs, can further catalyse development in public libraries. Globally, public libraries are evolving as neutral, safe, trust-based spaces, enhancing access to information for everyone and it is a fundamental human right[1] as per Goal 16 of UN-SDGs.

Initiative 1 – International Network of Emerging Library Innovators (INELI) India and South Asia

Librarians leadership is globally being refined, wherein they are seen as social enables having 21^st Century librarian’s skills. In this context, the INELI – India and South Asia a comprehensive capacity building program was adopted from the global model that benefitted more than 70 public librarians. This model equipped the selected librarians to graduate as library innovators through their participation in the online coursework and in-person convening’s required to support their continuous learning.  The open-source e-platform was built to bring in a multitude of changes in the way librarians think, design, innovate and create learning opportunities for their target groups beyond books.

A network of trailblazing innovative library leaders for South Asia are formal graduates of the project have formulated a Foundation – Asia Network of Library Innovators’ Foundation (ANLiF). The foundation aims to empower librarians and act as enablers for catalyzing changes in the library field of this region.

Initiative 2 – Repositioning Indian Public Libraries as Life-Long Knowledge Centres

More than 50 Library Leaders from 19 States in India, from the above initiative, have fostered and enhanced their public libraries by taking action to demonstrate the role of libraries as knowledge hubs through innovative services. For more than two years, librarians have facilitated local partnerships, built local networks for delivering services in their libraries. The major achievements until 2019, can be viewed in the 30 years journey on “Empowering Knowledge Societies”.

[1] How Do Libraries Further Development? https://www.ifla.org/node/7408

Goals

INELI India and South Asia (Library Innovators)

• Enhanced innovative leadership skills and knowledge of 70 emerging public library leaders,
• A vibrant regional network of emerging library leader acting as accelerators, taking action in the field of the library. Increased collaboration between library stakeholders in South Asia by the end of the program.

Repositioning of India Public Libraries as Knowledge Centres (Library Innovators & Experiential Innovators)

• Enhancing capacities of identified library staff across 50 libraries, who are adopting a consultative, needs assessment approach for meeting information, educational and learning needs of its diversified community,
• Introducing creative, interactive and innovative ICT enabled knowledge services that support the community to make informed decisions, and
• The librarians to communicate the results to state / national level stakeholders for repositioning and advocating socially inclusive public library policies

• 3 cohorts with 74 public librarians have participated in this initiative

• 54 librarians from 19 States in India

• 20 librarians from 6 South Asian Countries – Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives

A reflective learning approach was adopted wherein one had to Observe, Orient, Decide and Act, which were the key steps taken to improve the learning curve of the librarians. The learning system was strengthened by leveraging on feedbacks received from all library innovators, experiential innovators, and mentors.

A multidisciplinary group was engaged when required, to ensure that aspects of leadership skill-building, key concepts, approaches, and strategies were shared. Additionally, with reference to global development on the role of libraries and the relevance of UN-SDGs for community development was inducted.

The initiatives of the special library programme have provided an opportunity for the librarians to develop their knowledge, attitude, and skills for enhancing their 21st Century leadership qualities through a variety of learning environments and networking of events. The following are the core key activities, the libraries were engaged in.

• Developing Global Library Leaders – Dr. Gopal Mohan Shukla, INELIan Cohort 1 Global recognition  for eight librarians of the INELI Network – MSSRF
• Over four years of driving development through public libraries – INELI South Asia – MSSRF
• Taking Libraries beyond books–The New Indian Express
• INELI India and South Asia – Convening 2 of Cohort 2
• INELI India – Convening 2 of Cohort 1
• INELI South Asia – Convening 1 of Cohort 3
• Delhi Declaration of Open Access – Signatories
• INELI Oceania Progress Report – APSIG Newsletter – ALIA Asia Pacific Special Interest Group No. 96, March 2018
• Chandigarh Librarian on the “Wall of Fame” of International Body – Press Note
• Sharing experiences and learning’s from project on public libraries – MSSRF
• Initiative Launched to Strengthen Public Libraries in India – Times of India
• Tamil Nadu Government boost to public library movement; allocates Rs.10 lakhs for annual library conference – MSSRF
• Transforming the Public Library Status in India – Manendra Kumar Singh. Transforming the Public Library Status in India. Journal of Advancements in Library Sciences. 2018; 5(2): 97–103 p.
• Repurposing Public Library Spaces  
• INELI Booklet

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for INELI India and South Asia Initiatives

NASSCOM Foundation, Indian Public Library Movement and M S Swaminathan Research Foundation through a tripartite partnership implemented the initiative “Repositioning Indian Public Libraries as Knowledge Centres”

M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

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Tamil Nadu, India
Phone: +91-2254 1229, 1698, 2698, 2699
E-mail: executivedirector@mssrf.res.in
Web:  www.mssrf.org

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