UgCLA PROGRAMS
Administering projects
Records Management and data collection
Monitoring and Evaluation
Library Visits
Membership and Registration
Book Re-distribution
Publicity
Holding Annual conferences for its members
volunteer placements
Updated database of registered members
Attending and participating in member and partner programs and activities
Advocacy and fundraising
Library consultancy services
Research and development
Training and workshop
Proposal writing
Activities
National conferences and workshops
For the first three years of its existence, UgCLA organized workshops twice a year to which every member library was entitled to send a representative (members were allowed to send two representatives to the first one). Then, as the Association became too big to work in a workshop format, an annual conference was instituted instead. Seven such conferences have been held to date. Workshops are also organized for select groups of members in association with particular projects.
Workshops and conferences that are for the Association as a whole are organized around a particular theme. This theme is usually related to one or more projects to be carried out in the following months, as shown in the table below:
Date | Place | Attendance | Theme | Related project(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 2008 | Pope Paul Memorial Hotel Rubaga | 30 (17 CLs) | Project development and proposal writing | Competition for US Embassy grants |
July 2008 | Shine Hotel Kansanga | 18 | Initiating community libraries | US Embassy grants |
Feb. 2009 | Green Valley Hotel Gaba | 35 | Libraries as centres for education and development | Attendance of select representatives at Community Libraries Conference at Kwekitui, Lushoto, and at Pan African Conference on Reading for All, Dar es Salaam |
July 2009 | Green Valley Hotel Gaba | 30 | Library Management | Attendance of select representatives at Community Libraries Conference at Kwekitui, Lushoto, and at Pan African Conference on Reading for All, Dar es Salaam |
Jan. 2010 | Kabubbu Resort | 44 | Reading programmes for children | Children’s Book Project |
July 2010 | Kabubbu Resort | 56 | Working with children | Children’s Picture Books |
Jan. 2012 | Masaka Social Centre | 70 | Libraries for health | Health Reading Camps AfriPads distribution |
Jan. 2013 | Olive Leaf Hotel, Mbale | c. 50 | Libraries for languages | Writing projects in libraries in partnership with African Storybook |
Jan 2014 | Nambi Sseppuuya Memorial Resource Centre | 48 | Developing an international profile | |
Jan 2015 | Kitengesa Community Library | 49 | Community engagement: Libraries for community empowerment | |
Jan 2016 | Uganda Development Services Library, Kamuli | 40 | Sustainability for libraries | • Partnership with Yunus Social Business • Office space and library in Kampala |
July 2017 | Kawempe Youth Centre, Kampala | 50 (32 CLs) | New technologies: Implications for libraries | • Development of libraries’ use of ICTs • African Storybook |
In 2018 the Association held no conference since it was undergoing reorganization and was unable to raise the necessary funds.
Regional workshops
In 2011 the Association organized its members into regional clusters: Mbale (8 libraries), Jinja (10 libraries), Mukono (8 libraries), West Nile (11 libraries), Western (10 libraries), Masaka (7 libraries), and Kampala (15 libraries, including those thatare not in Kampala but are far away from any other member library). The composition of these clusters shifts as more libraries join UgCLA and as others become inactive. In 2011 UgCLA was able to provide a small budget to each cluster for holding a workshop on a topic of the cluster’s own choice and hosted by a library selected by the cluster’s members. The Association was not able to provide such a budget in 2012 though discussion of environmental issues at the 2012 annual conference was organized on a regional basis and was followed up by a tree-planting project in a few libraries. UgCLA did organize a workshop for the Mbale cluster in January 2013 and held two for the Jinja cluster in September and November 2013. The Mbale workshop was funded by LitWorld, a nonprofit organization based in New York, and led to the establishment of LitClubs (i.e. reading clubs for children and teenagers) in each participating library. The Jinja workshops were funded by the African Storybook Project, and the participants focused on activities through which they could generate stories in their own libraries using Lusoga or another local language as the medium. Even without workshops, the managers of libraries in each region get to know one another at the annual conference,and it is quite common for them to visit one another’s libraries.
Grants administered
UgCLA has administered a number of grants for different donors. The libraries to receive these grants are sometimes selected by UgCLA’s Steering Committee on the basis of its knowledge of the strengths and needs of particular member institutions, but more often they are chosen through a competitive process; all interested libraries write proposals that are then assessed either by members of the Board or by the donors themselves.
The following table shows the grants administered so far. Amounts are in US dollars unless otherwise specified.
Date | Donor | Purpose | Amount | Beneficiaries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008-9 | US Embassy, Kampala | Develop capacity in project planning and implementation (competition) | $1000 for 6 libraries and funds for three workshops, $15000 total | 1. Adult Education Centre Njeru, Mukon District 2. Inforall Community Library Kagoma, Kampala 3. Kabubbu Community Library, Wakiso District 4. Nambi Sseppuuya Community RC, Igombe, Jinja District 5. Uganda Development Services Kamuli 6. URLCODA Community LibraryLokotoro AruaDistrict |
2009 | Fountain Publishers, MK Publishers, Mr. Alan Shonubi, Mukono Booksop | Enable librarians to attend the Pan African Conference on Reading for All in Dar es Salaam and a small conference on community libraries in Lushoto (competition) | $500 for 4 libraries, $2000 total | 1. Caezaria Public Library Complex, Buikwe District 2. Mpolyabigere Community Library, Nsinze, Namutumba District 3. Nambi Sseppuuya Community RC, Igombe, Jinja District 4. URLCODA Community Library, Lokotoro, Arua District |
2009 | Douglas College with Coquitlam Public Library, through Libraries Without Borders Vancouver, BC | Enable a library to operate effectively by supporting the salary of a librarian (UgCLA’s recommendation) | $3985.68CDN for 1 library | 1. Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District |
2010 | Pockets of Change New York | Children’s Book Project: supply locally purchased children’s books and encourage programmes for children (competition) | $200 for 10 libraries, $2000 total | 1. Bugiri Community Library 2. Bushikori Christian Centre, Mbale District 3. Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District 4. Busongora Rural Information Centre, Kasese District 5. Gayaza Family Learning Resource Centre, Wakiso District 6. Kitengesa CL, Masaka District 7. Kyabutaika CL, Nakasongola District 8. Mpolyabigere CL, Nsinze, Namutuba District 9. Queen of Heaven Yumbe 10. Suubi CL, Masaka District |
2010 | Hawk Children’s Fund, University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Rural Solar Demonstration Project: develop library capacity by providing solar electricity (selection by Board) | c. $7500 for 2 libraries, $15000 total | 1. URLCODA Community Library Lokotoro, Arua District 2. Mpolyabigere CL Nisinze, Namutumba District |
2011 | Pockets of Change New York | Children’s Book Project: supply locally purchased children’s books and encourage programmes for children (competition) | $300 for 5 libraries, $1800 total | 1. Bunalwenhi CL, Mayuge District 2. Christian Community Foundation, Bududa 3. Ewadri Primary School Arua Sida Tuku CL, Arua District 4. The 6 Community Library Services, Busia 5. Zinunula Omunaku Educational Centre, Matugga, Wakiso District |
2011 | Pockets of Change New York | Innovative Libraries Project—mobile library (competition) | $1000 for 1 library | Bushikori Christian Centre, Mbale District |
2011 | Hawk Children’s Fund | Health Reading Camps: use library resources to teach teenagers about HIV-AIDS and other health issues (selection by Board) | $ 1178 for 4 libraries, $4712 total | 1. Caezaria Public Library, Ajija-Malongwe, Buikwe District 2. Kitengesa CL, Masaka District 3. Mpolyabigere CL,Nsinze, Namutumba District 4. URLCODA CL,Lokotoro, Arua District |
2011 | Douglas College with Coquitlam Public Library, Vancouver, BC | Enable a library to operate effectively by supporting the salary of a librarian | $2952.33 for 1 library | Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District |
2011-12 | Hawk Children’s Fund | Children’s Picture Books: UgCLA published 4 books especially designed for rural Ugandan children | $1000 for UgCLA | All member libraries received a set of the books produced |
2011-12 | Global Goodness | Family Literacy Project (selection by Board) | $1200 total for 2 programme units at 2 libraries | 1. Gayaza Family Learning Resource Centre, Wakiso District 2. Bunalwenhi Community Library, Iganga District |
2012 | Book Aid International | Transforming Libraries: provide books and funds for refurbishment of libraries (competition) | £1000 pounds sterling & 700 books for 10 libraries, £10,000 total | 1. Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District 2. Christian Community Foundation Bududa 3. Gayaza Family Learning Resource Centre, Wakiso District 4. Good Shepherd CL Hoima 5. Kawempe Youth Centre, Kampala 6. Koboko Community Information Centre 7. Mingoro Primary School, Arua District 8. Network for African Youth Leadership and Development, Kitetika, Wakiso District 9. Ragem Primary School, Arua 10. Randa Farmers’ Library (now Hands of Action Community Library), Bududa District |
2013 | Book Aid International | Transforming Libraries: provide books and funds for refurbishment of libraries (competition) | £1000 & 700 books for 10 libraries, £10,000 total | 1. Access Knowledge, Buiga, Mukono District 2. Blessed Foster Family Foundation, Lwanyi, Masaka District 3. Bushikori Christian Centre 4. Busongora Rural Information Centre 5. Bwera Information Centre 6. Kitengesa Community Library 7. Masese Child Development Centre 8. Mpolyabigere Kidiki 9. Sepi Mukombe Mpambara Public Library 10. The Six Community Library |
2013 | LitWorld | LitClubs in seven libraries around Mbale | $4334 | 1. Bunabumali Good Samaritan Orphan and Needy Project, Bududa District 2. Bushikori Christian Centre, Mbale District 3. Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District 4. Christian Community Foundation Bududua 5. Hadassah Primary School Community Library (later named Sarah Horowitz Memorial Library), Mbale 6. Joyce Memorial Community Library, Busoba, Mbale District 7. Randa Farmers Library (Hands of Action Community Library) Bududa District |
2013 | Hawk Children’s Fund Ugandan Water Project Anonymous donor | Water for Libraries 10,000-litre water tanks provided to three libraries Contribution to cost of water tanks Contribution to cost of water tanks | $7000 $500 $3000 | 1. Caezaria Public Library, Ajija-Malongwe, Buikwe District 2. Nambi Sseppuuya RC, Igombe, Jinja District 3. Zigoti Community Library, Mityana District |
2014 | Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) | Funding, books, and equipment for 5 libraries to hold Health Reading and Computer Training Camps for school children, 11-15 August | $19030.65 | 1. Access Knowledge, Buiga, Mukono District 2. Busolwe Public Library, Butalejja District 3. Centre for Youth Driven Development Initiatives (CFYDDI), Gayaza, Wakiso District 4. Nambi Sseppuuya RC, Igombe, Jinja District 5. Organization for the Diffusion of Information on Society, Economy, and Finance (ORDISEF) |
2014 | Book Aid International | Children’s corners for 3 public and 2 community libraries | 1. Bonna Bana Community Library, Bukalabi, Luwero District 2. Zigoti Community Library, Mityana District |
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2018-2019 | Book Aid International | Book Havens Project: provide for children through community libraries in urban slum areas | Books and refurbishments grants for each library | 1. M-LISADA (Music, Life Skills, & Destination Authority), Nsambya, Kampala 2. The Mummy Foundation, Katwe, Kampala 3. The AMKA Foundation, Community Library, Kasubi, Kampala 4. Condominium Library, Bugolobi, Kampala 5. Art of a Child—Literacy Centre, Matuga, Wakiso District |