Events & Activities
Community Reading Tent (CRT)
The library regularly organizes CRTs in the communities as a drive to sensitize communities about the relevance of reading and the available reading spaces & information resources at the KCCA libraries in Kampala. Majority of the CRTs target underprivileged communities within the City. The focus is to interface, inspire and invoke the literate and create potentials to love reading deep inside these communities. This intervention is intended to nurture a culture of reading among the communities.
Mobile School Library Services
In order to improve access to information resources to the learners, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in partnership with various development partners established mobile school library services. The initiative is intended to complement government’s efforts to improve the quality of primary education for improved performance in Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) through provision of relevant curriculum related materials and additional non-curriculum resources.
In this initiative, information resources are brought closer to the learners in selected schools on a rotational basis. The pupils are provided with a variety of readers to read at free range. The learners are also tasked to explain certain key features of the books. They are also sensitized about effective reading, as well as the various services at the Children’s Library. The schools are further loaned a considerable volume of books for a specified period, usually two weeks; after which the collection is received back and considered for another school and the cycle continues. This is part of the strategies to enhance access to reading materials to schools and promote a reading culture among school going children.
Schools Visits to the Children’s Library
Under this arrangement, the Children’s Library hosts school pupils from Nursery up-to the primary school level. In this programme, schools are requested to make prior notification to enable the library prepare appropriate information resources including games and to avoid schools clashes. The children are accompanied by utmost two teachers. The opportunity is available on a demand driven scale and on first come first served basis. Children between the age of 5 and 14 in non-schooling environment are also allowed to visit the Children’s Library either accompanied by parents/guardians or not. At the Library, the children are engaged in a number of literacy eliciting activities such as read aloud, silent reading, storytelling, educative games, paintings, summary writing, word search, debate, quiz, spelling bee, etc. both in groups and at individual level competitively with awards for winners. Such engagements leave children challenged and changed personalities.
DEAR Day/Week Celebrations
DEAR is an acronym for Drop Everything And Read. The Ministry of Education and Sports designated 15th March every year as the national DEAR day celebration for all primary schools in Uganda. On this day, at exactly 11.00am everyone drops everything and convenes for 30 minutes to read. In order to attain more impact, KCCA designates a week to mark this celebration involving all primary schools, KCCA leadership (both political and technical), technical staff and a number of development partners including the US Embassy in Uganda, US Peace Corps in Uganda, MoES, Mixakids, Enjuba Spelling Bee and the media. The week is characterized by a number of activities namely;
- A joint Press Conference to inform the world about the DEAR Week celebrations;
- DEAR Week activities in schools such as reading, writing, games, competitive quiz, debate and other literacy activities;
- Visit by the political leaders and management team as guest readers in schools;
- Climax of the event at City Hall in competitive quiz and the final awarding including the recognition of the Best Library Patron of the year;
- Singing the East African Anthem;
- Preparation of the special reading session for the entire Directorate teams and reflecting on the books they read.
School Library Development
The functionality of a school library is a key catalyst of an enabling learning environment. In light of that assertion, KLIC has embarked on a journey to build functional library services and an all-inclusive literacy program in the schools. This journey commenced with sensitization of the teachers about reading, literacy skills and effective school library management. So far all the Head teachers and teacher-librarians/school librarians from all the 79 Government Grant Aided primary schools have been trained in the above aspects. By the end of the training, we also agreed upon on an action plan that will guide our journey including identification of spaces for the school library in each school, centralization of all information resources in that space, engagement of stakeholders i.e. SMCs, PTAs, teachers and the learners and lending of the information resources to the learners and assessing the utilization. We are now reviewing the guiding instruments to fully streamline school library development in our schools.
Spelling Bee
Learning and wisdom orbit around being widely read, having the exposure to a wide range of literature, comprehending issues, being able to express oneself to respond to varying situations and providing feasible solutions to emerging challenges – thereafter being referred to as a man/woman of wisdom. As learners, the cornerstone of education is reading and ability to read starts from the ability to spell. Spelling Bee is a competitive spelling engagements.
This journey of activities starts with sensitization trainings of the language teachers and teacher-librarians/school librarians to equip them with knowledge and skills to transfer to the pupils to prepare them to compete. The drive for this competition is to further engage the learners in competitive spelling, reading and comprehension activities intended to contribute to the nurturing of a culture of reading and critical thinking and also sensitize them about creativity spaces provided by the library services. The activity is undertaken in partnership with Enjuba Spelling Bee.
Reading Space
KLIC is privileged with adequate and ambiantic reading space with seating capacity of 80 persons at a time. Come and enjoy the intellectually nourishing environment.
Development partners