community need

Faced with a tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, the government of Kyrgyzstan has launched an intensive national TB prevention and control programme. The Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium (KLIC) ‘No to TB!’ service works in partnership with civil society organizations like Project HOPE and the Red Crescent Society, to mobilize public libraries to support government goals.

The innovative service

With a grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) to cover equipment and some operational costs for one year (2011/2012), KLIC bought three laptop computers and three projectors for screening films.

They set up ‘No to TB!’ corners in three libraries in Northern Kyrgyzstan: Republic Library for Children and Youth in Bishkek, serving an urban population; Chui Province Library in Kant, serving a peri-urban community, and Novo-Pokrovka Rural Library, serving villagers and farmers. Very quickly, 190 more rural libraries signed up and established ‘No to TB!’ corners.

EIFL-plip project timeline

November 2011 - October 2012.

achievements and Impact

This is the first time so many libraries in Kyrgyzstan have worked together on a national campaign. The libraries demonstrated the effectiveness of a library network in supporting national health goals.

In less than a year, the libraries mobilized and trained over 800 people - schoolchildren, health workers, parents, social workers, teachers and librarians - to take part in intensive awareness-raising campaigns. They hosted meetings and debates about TB, attended by 5,600 people. They designed and distributed hundreds of leaflets, bookmarks and posters to keep TB in the public eye, and created a  lively TB information website which attracted over 7,000 visitors.

additional resources

Read a two-page case study about the KLIC 'No to TB!' project.

More libraries contributing to community health

Read about more innovative public library services that are helping to build healthy communities.PLIP-HEALTH