A roadmap to reading: Room to Read Vietnam’s National Replica Libraries Project

• In Event: Libraries to support literacy development: scale, sustainability and impact

Proposal

Providing primary school students with access to a variety of quality reading materials that are culturally relevant, engaging, and appropriate can help to promote a habit of reading and the development of reading skills (Neuman, 1999). Further, ensuring that students have access to child-friendly libraries can also help to promote students’ engagement with books and other reading materials (Krolak, 2006). Libraries can also provide an excellent venue for teachers to build students’ enjoyment of books and reading, especially through structured reading activities (such as reading aloud), which are associated with positive reading habits and improved literacy outcomes (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).

Unfortunately, in many low- and middle-income countries, providing primary school students with access to quality reading materials and child-friendly libraries remains a significant challenge (Davidson, 2013; Krolak, 2006). In Vietnam, for example, only 17% of all primary schools have libraries for students (Department of Primary Education, 2018). This lack of access can be attributed to a number of factors, including, for example: limited education funding for libraries, a lack of qualified staff able to manage libraries, inappropriate buildings, insufficient national policies relating to libraries and information, and other factors (Krolak, 2006; Rosenberg, 1998). Ultimately, if students in the primary grades do not have enough access to quality reading materials and child-friendly libraries and are not frequently engaged in structured reading activities, these students will most likely have fewer opportunities to develop a habit of reading and practice their burgeoning reading skills.

To address this lack of access to quality reading materials and child-friendly libraries, as a part of its Literacy Program, Room to Read works in partnership with local governments to: (i) establish school and classroom libraries filled with quality reading materials, (ii) conduct library management and library period reading activities workshops for school staff, and (iii) promote family and community engagement activities relating to libraries. The implementation of Room to Read libraries has been particularly successful in Vietnam. In 2018, Room to Read began a long-term partnership, referred to as the “National Replica Libraries Project,” with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam to promote the national scale-up of the Room to Read library model and to incorporate the Room to Read library model into revised national standardized library policies. As a key goal of this project is the sustainability of child-friendly libraries, Room to Read will support the MOET to implement and manage child-friendly libraries independently, helping to ensure greater access to libraries and quality reading materials for a substantial portion of the primary school population.

After describing Room to Read’s library model, this presentation will focus on Room to Read’s National Replica Libraries Project in Vietnam, in turn sharing: evidence of the success of Room to Read libraries in Vietnam; the long-term strategy and roadmap for Room to Read’s National Replica Libraries Project; Room to Read’s approach to engaging the MOET on this project; and a list of suggested recommendations and best practices for child-friendly library implementation and scale up.

Authors

• Nuong Nguyen, Room to Read

• Patrick Curry, Room to Read