RE: 11 additional libraries for Colombia - Diego Merizalde
17/3/17, 8�22 AM
RE: 11 additional libraries for Colombia Pilar Pacheco<Pilar.Pacheco@gatesfoundation.org> lun 05/12/2016 7:48 p.m. Para:Diego Cc:Alison
Merizalde <dmerizalde@bibliotecanacional.gov.co>;
Kilkenny <Alison.Kilkenny@gatesfoundation.org>;
Dear Diego, Thanks so much for reaching out to me to share this important informa5on and asking for my comments. It is great to know that you con5nue to have produc5ve discussions with the steering commi<ee at the Ministry of Culture since this alignment and coordina5on increases the impact of the project and the innova5ve services public libraries provide. In reviewing your proposal, it make sense to consider incorpora5ng the 11 libraries you men5oned in your original email since these new libraries probably meet all the criteria that the project requires of each library to be selected as a par5cipa5ng library. By adding these 11 libraries to the last cohort, you will ensure that they go through the process that you implemented with the previous cohorts: library visits, support for public library staff, training, implementa5on of innova5ve services, and measuring and evalua5on of indicators. The la<er is especially important for strong advocacy efforts and to ensure sustainability of the services and support mechanisms for the par5cipa5ng libraries as well as any poten5al expansion of the ICT and innova5ve services model as the network con5nues to grow. In regards to the addi5onal 17 libraries to be built in 2017, I’m sorry to say that I don’t see the feasibility of incorpora5ng these 17 libraries into this Project, financed by our grant. If we keep in mind that this project ends in March 2018, there will be a very small window of opportunity to add libraries and ensure that they go through the en5re support process that the project has implemented so successfully thus far. Because the holis5c approach you have implemented by providing equipment, tools, training, new services, etc. is so cri5cal, we wouldn’t recommend adding new libraries in 2017. As the Ministry of Culture con5nues to expand the network of public libraries in the future, it is important to consider technology equipment and innova5ve services to be added as a standard of any new public library (although this may already be the plan). I believe that that success of this Project will contribute to building strong arguments to advocate for public/private investments. In terms of the second issue in your email, I’ve thought about this a lot. Generally, Global Libraries does not provide funding to increase the collec5ons of public libraries, and if we were to consider magazine or journal subscrip5ons, ebooks, etc. one could argue that these are items that even if they are digital, they s5ll fall in the category of a collec5on. However, instead saying ‘no, this is something we don’t fund’, I would like to learn more about what you’re thinking so that I can understand the level of effort of doing this ac5vity in the remaining 5me of this grant and an es5mated amount of resources it will require. https://outlook.office.com/owa/?viewmodel=ReadMessageItem&ItemI…0Gku46WiwxAADwkYz5AAA%3D&IsPrintView=1&wid=15&ispopout=1&path=
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