Social challenge 1: How to improve the quality of libraries in rural China?
Why is this important?
Libraries provide a gateway to knowledge for rural population
Background
Most people who live in rural areas lack access to good libraries due to lack of government funding. Libraries that do exist often have poor infrastructure and are not well managed.
Status Quo
Non profits have donated money to rebuild rural
libraries. However most resources are put into building hard infrastructures,
rather than improving the quality of the libraries. Rural libraries often lack
access to good quality books, and
librarians lack professional training.
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Response from Group 3: 1st page
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Goal |
Build a comprehensive system to manage rural libraries |
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Solution |
• Quality of rural libraries should be defined
by four elements:
1) range of literatures 2) catalog system 3) local community involvement (to ensure sustainability) 4) librarians • Attractive marketing strategies
for getting people to check out books in rural libraries
• Partnership with search engine in
China (e.g. baidu.com) to collect book collections. Rural libraries can
post a list of books that they are short of, and individuals/ organizations can
donate according to the need of rural libraries
•
Organize book drive at corporations
• Set up mobile
libraries for more remote
villages
• Provide professional trainings
for rural libraries
• Attract university students to
intern at rural libraries
• Get retired people to help
organize literacy programs at the rural libraries
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