The Youth Cafe Library Program
“I feel the need to read, and it is a loss to a man not to have grown up among books.” -Abraham Lincoln.
We at The Youth Cafe recognize that information is a basic commodity in everyone’s life, and we want to ensure that the services we provide are responsive to your needs and will translate to individual and community empowerment. We want to provide these services to your satisfaction and take pride in the contribution that we will have made to your individual and national development, general well-being, and the economic growth of Africa. This program serves as a commitment that TYC intends to live up to its mandate.
The future belongs to a young person who reads. The culture of reading should be introduced to African children as early as 5 to 6 years of age. This sets down what TYC is and what it does, and its commitment to providing young people and communities with the highest quality and accessible services that the available resources will allow. TYC Library is a corporate body of The Youth Cafe that TYC’s Education department established to provide library and information services to young people.
Illiteracy rates in Africa
Research shows that Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest literacy rate, with an illiteracy rate of 15 years and above at 34%. This is the percentage of the population that is not able to read and write. As an organization, we are incentivizing young people to embrace reading as we promote Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
What it is
The Youth Cafe library program is a reading program introduced by The Youth Cafe Organization, located in Kitisuru gardens, Nairobi, Kenya. The reading program allows youth to come to the organization to read books, and they can also borrow books at a deposit which will be given back when they return the book. In addition to the mainstream library services, TYC offers outreach programs targeted at those who are not able to access the libraries due to distance or other impediments. These include:
Mobile Library services
Braille services to institutions dealing with visually impaired persons
Service to prisons and hospitals
Book box service to schools
How it works
The Youth Cafe Library Program targets young people with the desire and pushes to read, get knowledge, and create their knowledge. It allows any young people from the ages of 13 to 35 years to access the organization’s books through membership registration, where they are issued with a membership card that allows them to access books online, physically and to join a book club that is a forum where they discuss books they have read.
Membership
TYC is committed to offering access to information and knowledge for empowerment. At TYC Library Program, our tagline, “Read Know Empower”, tells of our desire to have knowledgeable and empowered people in the country. With a library membership card, you have access to a world of books, magazines, newspapers, CDs, DVDs, e-books, databases, online journals, public computers and many more that are yours to discover. A library card is one of the best assets you need to have to transform your life.
Membership of the library is open to institutions and individuals, both citizens and non-citizens.
Junior Membership
Libraries for Children are essential for development. It is in childhood that all kinds of literacy skills are best built. Early childhood literacy is important: the earlier a child starts to access information, the more efficient and life-long this access will be. Libraries for Children are the key to equal access to information.
The libraries equip children with lifelong learning and literacy skills, enabling them to participate and contribute to the community. Children’s libraries have a special responsibility to support learning to read and give children access to all media. They empower children and advocate for their freedom and safety. They encourage children to grow into confident and competent adults. They give children their first experience of being a citizen in their own right.
The clubs were a concept that developed out of a large number of children interested in learning through modelling, reading, interactive play, drama, storytelling, debate, games, and other media that are able to hold children’s attention. The clubs are anchored on two pillars of activities, i.e. Indoor and outdoor activities.
All primary children of school-going age and below have access to the libraries within the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) network at no charge (free). However, for them to borrow books, they must be registered as members of that library and pay a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 5 per book borrowed.
Adult Membership
For adult membership, no charges are levied for registration, but a minimal fee is charged for daily access. In addition, to borrow books, one has to be registered as a member and pay a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 50 is applicable per book borrowed.
Institutional Membership
Various categories of institutions may apply for registration at the library of their choice within the KNLS network. The institutions are categorized as; primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, NGOs, Community based organizations and religious institutions. Under this category, institutions are required to pay an annual registration as per schedule 2 below.
Below is the registration form with requirements for citizens and non-citizens.
Categories of Books available
Children’s books
Literature
Historical
Scholarly books
Motivational books
Articles
OPEN DAYS
Monday to Saturday
8 am - 6 pm
Public holidays / Sundays
10 am - 4 pm
As an organization, we hope many children, young people and adults will come to access learning material and have a space that is safe for them to interact, play and engage.
