News & Impact
Find stories about:
Sort by: Type | Date
|
July 7, 2011
 IREX has been working with public access to information / telecenters for more than 15 years. In that time we’ve encountered many of the difficulties. How do the telecenters continue operation after outside funding dries up? How do you embed the telecenter into the community? As our thinking on this topic has evolved over the years, we’ve begun focusing our efforts on the one existing public institution that is owned by the local community and can provide a variety of information services: the public library. |
June 24, 2011
 Seeking work abroad is a necessity for many families in Romania, and labor migrants often leave children behind. These children need support, so public libraries are getting involved in a new project called, “Te Iubeste Mama,” or “Mommy Loves You.” This project will connect parents working in Italy with their children at home in Romania through audio-visual communication like Skype, a new service that libraries in the Biblionet program offer to patrons. |
|
June 6, 2011
 Recently, the library in the village of Dobrohostiv, Ukraine won an award from Bibliomist’s Community Participation Contest (CPC), providing funding to implement a project to connect labor migrants and their families through the library. In the last decade, economic problems have caused thousands of people from western Ukraine to leave for the European Union seeking employment. Apart from facing numerous legal and social challenges, these migrants often find themselves isolated from the families they leave behind. Many Ukrainians do not have internet access at home and are unable to connect with relatives and friends abroad through e-mail or Skype. |
May 1, 2011
 Officials took part in recent conferences highlighting how the Romanian government is building on Biblionet's success in modernizing the public library system. |
|
April 28, 2011
 I just came home from Rwanda, Liberia, Romania and Ukraine. What do these countries have in common you ask and why is IREX focusing on them right now? Each one of these countries is in transition from a difficult past to a hoped-for brighter future. Each one of these countries is in a better position now than in over a generation to make genuine progress toward the goals they’ve set for themselves. Each has its own unique set of challenges, naturally. |
March 18, 2011
 Constanta, Romania county libraries joined Biblionet participants in sharing organizational and creative ideas during November sessions of the “Basics of New Library Services” course. Certified trainers Liliana Stamate and Manuela Dinica facilitated sessions about existing and potential resources, retaining and expanding library users, and the stages for developing new services. Participants returned to their libraries with new methods and ideas based on the similar experiences of their fellow dedicated librarians. |
|
February 28, 2011
 Access to legal information is becoming an increasingly popular service at Bibliomist-equipped libraries, especially those in smaller towns and villages |
February 28, 2011
The librarians whose libraries were selected to be equipped in round two of Bibliomist discuss what made their applications successful and how they stay tuned into community needs. |
|
February 7, 2011
 Last Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to personally thank Bill Gates for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation support for the Global Libraries programs that IREX implements in Romania and Ukraine. |
January 31, 2011
 For the next several years the Rozhnyativ Centralized Library System in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast of Ukraine can concentrate on providing services to patrons without worrying about financing operations. As a result of the recently adoped government program, the government will provide up to $36,000 to support implementation of the Library Internet Access Program in Rozhnyativ Raion. |
