Selection of the Duplan Community Library
Over the 12 years that PILH has served in Haiti, we have mentored and strengthened a number of rural libraries in the Central Plateau and in the Artibonite Departments. The Duplan Community Library, in the Quest, is not as rural as our four former libraries; however, we selected it as a site that is central in the country, semi-rural, and relatively secure. We have developed it as a Children’s Library, serving ages birth to 8-year-olds. Primarily we chose it for its great potential for service.
Beverly Stephen is the Lead Library Worker. Prior to receiving our formal training, she taught herself the library skills by searching the internet. Loving her job, her career goal is to be a librarian. A high school graduate, she previously attended a Port-au-Prince university studying Administrative Management. In the Spring 2023, Judeline Marechal was selected as assistant librarian. She cites her desire to improve young children’s education as her workplace goal.
Methodist Pastor and village leader and administrator Edzaire Paul established the library 20 years ago and is very enthusiastic about the library’s modernization.
A Library Committee to serve especially for this project was formed consisting of Chairperson Beatrice Gaunthier, a clinical internist, the school director, community members, and Pastor Paul; Brulan Jean-Michel, former PILH consultant, also serves.
There are villagers, from several communities that surround Duplan, who regularly come to the village for church services and youth activities, and these families could benefit from the use of the library should it be enlarged.
A Memorandum of Agreement signed by PILH and the Duplan Village Governance Committee indicates this project will tentatively last 3 years.
The Duplan Village
There are approximately 900 students from pre-k through 12th-grade in the Duplan Methodist School, with the secondary level being unique in the region’s vicinity. At 205 years old, the church and the community are well-established.
Adults from neighboring villages attend the church and their children are involved in Bible study and choir activities. On Saturdays, a large group of children, the Cadets, attend activities run by young adults or their parents where the children study the Bible, do activities, and play games. There are 100+ children in the children’s choir. Planning is underway for the library’s availability to some of them. Approximately 500 families attend Methodist Church services.
The Duplan Library has been operational for 21 years. Books circulate for one week but only to the teachers and students attached to the Duplan village school; their library card is their school identification card.
At the project’s beginning, there were many outdated books on the shelves and the first task was weeding those. Four barely functioning laptops were almost immediately replaced by six new Chromebooks.
The Current Work
A well-known former director of FOKAL’s Community Haitian Library Programs, Erick Toussaint leads the training. Growing a large book collection, highlighting programs in Kreyòl, and introducing technology platforms are an important focus. PILH has purchased p a large Kreyòl book collection as a resource for Duplan students and teachers. The Ministry of Education in August 2023 decreed that Kreyòl, Haiti’s Mother Tongue, is the country’s teaching language pre-K to 12th grade.
A Haitian library training platform developed by Erick Toussaint for FOKAL libraries provides the 11 module, sequential curriculum. The fundamentals of library administration and management are central.
As trainees complete each module their progress is tested and results shared by Zoom or WhatsApp conferences with Erick. A new computer and software
In the future, Beverly and Judeline will work with teachers to help introduce new books, programs, activities, games, and incentives purchased to enhance children’s joy of reading and lifelong learning. The goals for children birth to 8 years old and teachers are: 1) to progress toward school readiness, 2) to engage children in the joy of reading, 3) to support the school curriculum. Parents will eventually be encouraged to become involved.
Through monthly regular reports and Zoom meetings, the Duplan Community Library Committee to keeps PILH updated on Bev’s training and technical assistance. The Library Committee Chair Dr. Beatrice Gaunthier takes an active role providing to the PILH staffs reports and making in-person suggestions during monthly Zoom interactive meetings.
To provide sustainability, the Library Committee will assist in identifying and approaching funders to offer resources.
Currently, the Library Committee is providing funds to:
- maintain the quality and security of the library
- pay the library assistant’s salary
- offer strong WI-FI running so that PILH staff progress reports, records, and conversations occur regularly by email or on Zoom
- provide needed furniture, shelving, a librarian’s desk
- pay for electricity and water
- provide IT technicians to install, support, repair, and train users as equipment is added
PILH will provide funds as monetary needs are identified, presented and mutually agreed upon with the Library Committee. PILH will also provide an external evaluator to assess progress in the librarian and library’s development. Funding each year will be dependent on trackable assessment of progress.