New collections for Teacher Centre Libraries

In October 2007, ZLS staff visited TC libraries across Zanzibar to deliver new books for each TC library intended to help teachers mainstream HIV / AIDS education in the classroom – the purchase and distribution of these HIV / AIDS materials has been made possible through the Support of Zanzibar AIDS Commission.

These materials will be used by TC library staff to run HIV awareness activities for teachers and students for World AIDS Day 2007 on 1 December 2007.


During these visits, ZLS also delivered ZLS Library Resource Packs - collections of useful print and digital resources about basic library management and reading promotion - to TC libraries.

By compiling and delivering these ZLS Library Resource Packs to all Teacher Centre libraries in Unguja and Pemba, it is intended that:

• TC staff will use these resource packs to develop library services to support teaching and learning within all TC libraries;
• All schools in Zanzibar will be able to access appropriate resources about library development and reading promotion easily within their Teacher’s Centre libraries;
• These resource packs will be generally available to support future training provided by ZLS for teacher-librarians across the archipelago.

Chake Chake Library promotes reading to children

The ZLS Library in Chake Chake on Pemba Island has been running a weekly programme to promote literacy and libraries to primary school children for over three years. Children come to the library every Friday afternoon to read together, to play games, to draw, sing and act.

The library staff is working hard to get more children involved in the library by building relationships with schools close to the library. However, there is a desperate shortage of Swahili story books for young children in the library so finding funds to buy more locally published books to use for this programme is an ongoing concern at this library.