Potential is unlocked – test scores improve, prizes are won, civic engagement flourishes, environmental awareness increases, world knowledge is accessed, democratic values are nurtured, creativity thrives, girls and underserved communities are equalized, and more.
The school library is one of the best options for addressing the civil rights of our students. - PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Our training and continuing professional development program, as well as our provided interactive whiteboards, computers, games and up-to-date diverse books from major national, regional and international publishers equip teachers and librarians with new, innovative ways to teach and better engage with students.
KEY IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO FACILITATE PARTICIPATION FOR EXPERTS TO TRAIN SCHOOL LIBRARIANS IN KENYA
On the 25th of April 2023, KEY launched a three-day first-of-its-kind librarians workshop aimed primarily at enhancing professional and leadership development for school librarians. The workshop gathered over 46 librarians and education stakeholders from Ghana and across Kenya. The session served as a stepping stone for delivering long-term professional and leadership development to school librarians in Kenya.
The workshop was offered in partnership with the Kenya Library Association, Kenya National Library Service and Goethe Institut Nairobi. Florida State University adjunct Professor Dr. Christie Koontz joined KEY as a facilitator for the workshop, alongside the Executive Officer – Isaac Nyarigoti – of Kenya Library Association, Head Librarian – Lilian Momanyi – at Goethe Institut, Prof. peter Gatiti Chairperson of Kenya Library Associaion and Vice Provost Aga Khan University, and 5 facilitators from other institutions including University of North Texas and Queens College New York.
Our libraries develop into community hubs, meeting places, engines of community engagement. Because they are sources of relevant information, they provide support for community and religious leaders, local health care workers, families, professionals, and countless other members of the community. The more remote the school is, the stronger will be the impact of the library on its local community.
Our libraries have been consecutive winners of the Maktaba Kenya Library of the Year Award, which recognizes the best public and private school libraries nationwide. The award is presented annually by the Goethe Institute, Kenya Library Association and Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.
Between 2016 and 2018 we spearheaded a partnership between KEY, the Kenya Law Reform Commission, Kenya Library Association, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, The Goethe Institute and NGOs in education. And, KEY took the primary responsibility in the analysis and drafting of Kenya’s first road map Policy and Guidelines for School Libraries for the group. These helped provide a foundation for Kenya’s first National Policy on Libraries (2022) and the Libraries of Kenya Bill (2022) that are currently undergoing public participation.
Access to a KEY library gives students both an enriching educational experience and the chance to develop strong, confident voices that will serve them on the world stage.
We invite you to watch stakeholders views and some of our students share their excitement for learning and their outcomes.
There’s a very wide choice of books. It is going to meet the interests of different people at their growth stage. It is going to challenge them in their thinking and in their understanding. It is also going to help them to learn a wide variety of subjects
The new building is absolutely magnificent. The lighting is great. Plenty of natural light. The ability to get onto the internet because of the wifi, and I think that KEY have done an absolutely amazing job here, and I think it’s something that the girls of Starehe Girls’ Centre will benefit [from] for years and years to come.
Often when people think about building a library they just think of putting up a building and throwing the books in. The great thing about this is, working with KEY, we are able to learn from their experiences, and so, the formula was very easy for us to follow to put it up. I’m also surprised at how quickly it came up. It seems like only the other day that we were breaking ground, and now, we have a fabulous library. The structure is good, the content is good, and the girls are really excited by it.
This library represents an enormous investment in the education of the girls here. The books are beautifully chosen. The books are a window to a much wider world… The books are very high quality. They’ve been selected with enormous care, and they will show the girls things about the world that they wouldn’t otherwise get to know about. About art, about health, about government, about great literature. It’s an extraordinarily diverse selection of books that will teach them about the world in it’s breadth, but will also teach them about home. There’s a very good selection of African literature, and books about African history for example. Clearly these books are selected with great care. They are extremely current. They are the most recent version of the books that are available, and they’re supplemented by some computer banks that give the girls access to some of the best electronic information available.”
I started reading the books and it gave me a lot of determination to work hard… to become a lawyer and return to build Sudan.
I was selected as the library prefect, but I was discouraged because there was scarcity of the books. We had no shelves. We had no room for arranging the books. But now I’m very happy to see the arrangement and I’m even encouraged to be addressed as a librarian.
I’ve seen some books on history, which actually, some of the material is what they learn in class. English, in fact, is going to be boosted quite a lot… The more they read from the books that are in the library, they are going to get to know a lot more, and to understand. It will also help them to build a vocabulary and grammar.
Principal Anne Wambui of Anwa Academy in Kiberia describes how their academics soared.
I want to be an architect, and the KEY library has helped me see the potential of actualizing my dream. Once you’re exposed to a lot of knowledge and literature, writings from different people, you get to view the world from different perspectives, and that broadens your own perspective of the world. You’re able to connect with more ideas. This helps in the learning process: it makes learning easier, it makes learning fun.
I love this. Look how small the library is, but it has a constitution. This is order. We need order in this country. This library council, who appoints them? The students. Democracy is being practiced, at like the lowest level.
Our conversations have changed. They are more interesting now. The books are helping us in developing our talents. They are improving our vocabulary. They are helping us understand more about the outside world, African writers like Nelson Mandela, and what Africa has to offer. They are adding to our social and political awareness. We get to read about our role models, like Barack Obama, Wangari Mathai and so many others.
The library was a place no one ever went. Now students are asking us to open it up during the day and during the holidays. The students are interested in learning contemporary things in a contemporary way. They are excited about research opportunities and gaining more knowledge. The Field–Marsham library model will also benefit future generations.
Sometimes you hear of a library, and you go there, and you don’t find books that are exciting. But I’m surprised at the type of books that I am finding here. They are not books you even get in many colleges or universities. It’s a unique library. Next time I want to write a paper, I will come here.
We came up with our Science Fair idea after we read the book, The Complete Raising of Livestock and Poultry, brought by to our school by KEY. We sat and thought of how we could make it easier for Kenyans to generate animal feed. Thanks to what we learned from KEY’s books, our invention won 1st place in Kenya’s 2013 National Science Fair. Winning has changed our lives, and due to our success, we will be competing in South Africa’s 2014 Science, Innovation and Engineering Contest. We can go there and be proud of our school, St. Patrick’s, and our library as well.
The moment I walked in the door, I was actually in shock because it was like a university library.
The storybooks have helped me to know [English]. Even when somebody comes, I can tell her English or I can teach him English because I read the storybook for English.
The other day I was going through a book on self-esteem and I realized a lot of good ways with which I can easily improve my self-esteem. This book helps you to grow into a holistic individual.
If KEY would go to all the schools in Kenya, all the pupils would improve their marks, would improve their knowledge, because KEY plays a big role in enabling the child to get enough knowledge enough facilities to go on with their learning and study more.