Dynamic partnership for access and transformation in libraries for young people in port Harcourt: UNESCO 2014 World Book Capital

This paper examines how a non-governmental organization (NGO) can collaborate with libraries and individuals to provide access to reading materials and libraries for young people in Nigeria, using the platform of the 2014 UNESCO World Book Capital City (WBCC) programme. The NGO known as the Rainbow Book Club (The Club), with support from the President of Nigeria and the government of Rivers State bided and won the 2014 UNESCO (WBCC) for Port Harcourt City, making it the first city in Sub-Saharan Africa to win the prestigious title. The Club promotes reading and encourages reading habits in children through their various activities since 2005. The Club’s activities under the PHWBCC, in partnership with libraries affected access to reading materials and libraries for the young people in the city of Port Harcourt and its environs. These activities included planting of ‘seed’ libraries, book clubs, book donations, renovation and construction of public libraries and other literary activities identified in the paper. Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers State having a population of about 5.6 million people. How the partnership between Rainbow Book Club and the libraries provided access to reading materials, library-related activities and transformed libraries in the city of Port Harcourt is what this paper attempts to illustrate using Tables and simple percentages, while showing photographs and video clips of the UNESCO WBCC, 2014 during presentation.