Strategy After the signing of the Final Agreement for the termination of the conflict and building a stable and lasting peace, the Ministry of Culture, through the National Library of Colombia and the National Network of Public Libraries (1445), wants to contribute to the reintegration process of former FARC combatants to civilian life, as well as strengthening their reintegration in the communities that will host them in this transition process. Thus, the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, replicating the successful model
The MPL project will also help to increase social cohesion, confidence and peace building in areas affected by the conflict; it represents a unique opportunity to show the role of culture in peace processes and reaffirms the the Colombian government’s responsibility to direct all their efforts and work to reintegrate to the national project the areas affected by violence. Libraries and culture, through MPL, will enable the return of public institutions in these regions where the State has not been present
implemented by the French NGO Libraries Without
for decades.
Borders, designed a strategy through 20 Mobile Public
MPL’s offer internet access, cultural and educational
Libraries (MPL), to extend the scope of library services to
activities, resources for job search and entrepreneurship;
rural and difficult access areas that are strategic in the
they will constitute a space for debate and reunion to
disarmament of FARC.
stimulate citizen engagement and democracy.
Mobile Public Library (MPL)
Deployment
Each MPL is a multimedia center that can be transported
Since March, the Ministry will deploy in coordination
on two standard pallets and can be deployed in less
with the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace
than 20 minutes in a space of 100 m2. It contains 380
these libraries in 20 hamlets adjacent to transitory
physical books and more than 200 digital books, 17
normalization zones or spots. In each library there will
tablets, 15 digital book readers 5 computers and 3
be an expert librarian and an assistant attending a local
video cameras. In addition, 1 theater system with built-
community, and leading outreach services to veterans
in sound and more than 30 films, 1 board games kit,
who are in transitory normalization zones or spots.
1 administrative system for reporting information and loaning materials, and also includes 2 key items to ensure
Partner
adequate provision of the library’s services: 1 power
The Ministry of Culture purchased the Mobile Public
plant and 1 server which generates an internal wireless
Libraries (Box Ideas) from the French NGO Libraries
network to connect electronic devices in the library.
Without Borders. It also hired a team of 7 experts from this organization that will accompany the work
Investment
of librarians and contribute their work experience
The Ministry of Culture has invested 2 million dollars to
in various contexts of conflict or crisis, such as those
acquire the libraries and pay for their operation during
that have occurred in the cases of refugees in Europe
2017.
(Greece, Germany France, among others) and Africa (Morocco, Ethiopia and Ghana, among others).
More information:
http://bibliotecanacional.gov.co/es-co/Bibliotecas-en-Red/bibliotecas-publicas-moviles hgarcia@bibliotecanacional.gov.co