Local Author Launches Windhoek’s Own Little Library Initiative

Author and Sew Good Namibia manager Mel Kelly recently launched the Promising Pages Pilot Initiative, a new little library initiative aiming to establish book-borrowing sites in Namibian communities.

In some countries, small cabinets can be seen in public areas such as parks. People are encouraged to ‘take a book, read a book, return a book’ for free.

According to Kelly, the little library movement has been gaining traction around the world, with more than 150 000 in the United States alone.

“I had been thinking about the idea in a general way before the pandemic, but at that time encountered a fair amount of negativity – people didn’t really grasp the concept and tended to focus on their fears that books might get taken permanently,” she says.

After a visit to rural Germany and seeing a little library at a school bus stop, Kelly shared the idea with the Recycle Namibia Forum’s Anita Witt.

“Her enthusiasm then encouraged me to kick-start a Windhoek-based version of the concept,” she says.

“In October this year, with the help of our kind supporters, we set up our first two free little libraries – at the Kapps Farmstall takeaway kiosk (at the airport road police checkpoint) and at the Hakahana offices of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia.

Kelly says the ultimate goal is to establish similar facilities countrywide and to create a paid position for someone to administer all the sites.

“Books are expensive and purchasing them is simply outside the budget of most families, yet our students are expected to have English-language competencies to be admitted to tertiary institutions,” Kelly says of the importance of such initiatives.

“It’s often said we don’t have a reading culture in Namibia, but this is a simplistic assessment of the situation.”

She says in the future, they would like to stock books in indigenous languages on their shelves as well.

Kelly says there have been some obstacles in launching the initiative.

“Potential book donors thought that books would get ‘stolen’. However, it was fairly easy to convince people that if someone in an under-resourced community enjoys a book so much that they wish to retain it at home, this is better than the same book sitting unread in a box, gathering dust in someone’s garage.”

Also a challenge has been finding suitable locations for the little libraries, as the sites need to be under cover and accessible at all times.

“Another issue will be securing a sustainable supply of books – especially children’s books – once our inventory of donated materials has been exhausted,” Kelly says.

She says they are also in need of quality bookshelves or cabinets without glass, and are willing to upcycle old items.

Kelly especially encourages players in the tourism industry to get involved in the project.

To either donate books or cabinets, or to get involved in the Promising Pages Pilot Initiative, you can contact Kelly at 081 127 1741 or Witt at 081 122 6063.