The Book Bunk

We build libraries.

In 2019, we created the first-ever digital catalogue of photographs, newspapers, manuscripts, letters, journals, and other material held at the McMillan Memorial Library totalling 137,705 items. In February 2021, we completed digitisation of approx. 21,840 of these items identified as some of the most endangered in the collection. So, what does it take to digitise these items?
Here’s an infographic showing you what it has been like digitising these rare archives at #NRBLibraries.

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This digitisation project is supported by British Council's Cultural Protection Fund, and is delivered in partnership with African Digital Heritage and the BESIC Group Ltd. We are delighted to announce the end of the first phase of our digitisation work!

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The Book Bunk

In June 2020, we completed the architectural restoration of Kaloleni Library. In March 2021, the first phase of similar work on the Eastlands Library in Makadara was also completed! #NRBLibraries can be funky spaces that we can all thrive in!

We need your help in turning these beloved public spaces into functional ones that are truly Palaces for The People! Do us a solid and tag your fave brands, would ya? These libraries require: kitchen appliances, wi-fi connectivity, water treatment/purifiers/filters, generator, Solar, Backup System and much more!

📸 Credits: by Quaint Photography
📍 McMillan Memorial Library (Kaloleni and Eastlands Branch)

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The Book Bunk

Climate change has sped up damage to entire collective histories and archives, including photographs, newspapers, manuscripts, letters, journals, and other material held at the McMillan Memorial Library. Following our creation of the first-ever digital catalogue of these items (totalling 137,705) in 2019, we have now completed digitisation of approx. 21,840 of these with support from British Council! These items were identified as some of the most endangered items in the collection and we are eternally grateful to all the 16 interns that worked tirelessly to protect this material. Watch and listen to what our team had to say regarding this preservation work and what lies ahead for these archives.

Video credits: Amit Ramrakha

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This digitisation project is supported by British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, and is delivered in partnership with African Digital Heritage and the BESIC Group Ltd. We are delighted to announce the end of the first phase of our digitisation work! We have digitised approx. 21,840 items at the McMillan Memorial Library, which had been identified as some of the most endangered items in the library.

#NRBLibraries

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The Book Bunk

What’s it like creating a virtual fundraising gala? Last year, we hosted a #MaskARade, our first ever virtual gala! Check out some behind-the-scenes footage, for a glimpse into what it took to reimagine our most glamorous night!

Bloopers o’clock? Kabisa!

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Opened in 1931, the McMillan Memorial library was built by Lady Lucy McMillan as a memorial to her husband, Sir Northrup McMillan, who died in 1925. The oldest library in Nairobi and the second oldest in Kenya, It is the only building in Kenya protected by an Act of Parliament; The McMillan Memorial Library Act Cap 217 of 1938 (revised in 2012). Every year, we host #ANightAtTheLibrary, a fundraising gala to support the restoration of these libraries. We are working with communities to turn these libraries into sites of heritage, public art, collective memory, knowledge production, cultural leadership and information exchange.

#NRBLibraries

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In keeping with the times, last year's edition of our fundraising gala was a virtual one, themed Mask-A-Rade. We hosted a virtual gathering in support of our restoration work in 2021 and gave audiences and givers an opportunity to play a part in creating truly inclusive public spaces from the comfort of their homes. David Oywa came through with the funk, creating beautiful sets at McMillan Memorial Library.

Amongst the offerings was a virtual art auction (with artwork by 20 artists available for bidding), meet and greet sessions with luminaries including Brian Babu Styling & This Is Ess, a musical performance titled Weaverbird by Wanja Wohoro and @The LAM Sisterhood (Laura Ekumbo, Aleya Kassam and Anne Moraa) and a fireside chat with Akala!
Experience a front row seat of Nairobi’s most glamorous night!

Set designs by David Oywa
Images by Bill Muganda and Quaint Photography

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Opened in 1931, the McMillan Memorial library was built by Lady Lucy McMillan as a memorial to her husband, Sir Northrup McMillan, who died in 1925. The oldest library in Nairobi and the second oldest in Kenya, It is the only building in Kenya protected by an Act of Parliament; The McMillan Memorial Library Act Cap 217 of 1938 (revised in 2012). Every year, we host A Night At The Library, a fundraising gala to support restoration efforts of these libraries. Through generous donations we can realise our goal of turning these libraries into sites of heritage, public art, collective memory, knowledge production, cultural leadership and information exchange.

#ANightAtTheLibrary #NRBLibraries

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The Book Bunk

We are 7 episodes deep. Kenya dig it?
We are stoked to have so many of you listening along to our podcast and want to celebrate getting to the end of this season with you! Our upcoming episode is the 8th and final one, and will feature a Q&A with our listeners. We are inviting you to share questions about this podcast, the libraries, Book Bunk or anything else we have touched on. Send us a voice note to (+254) 714 258474 and we will answer your questions in the live episode. We can’t wait to hear from you all!

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A Palace For The People, lovingly crafted in Nairobi is an 8-part podcast series unearthing pieces of Nairobi’s history that support and feed the restoration process of the McMillan Memorial Library and its branches in Makadara and Kaloleni. #NRBLibraries

If you haven't yet, listen to previous episodes of the podcast on our website here: http://bit.ly/APFTP

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About Green Bunk

Green Bunk is Book Bunk’s mitigation response to the effects of Climate Change. Through this programmatic strand, we seek to deliver a series of interventions for the communal benefit of library users and Nairobi residents at large. This programme sits within our larger goal to convert these crucial public spaces into inclusive ones that nurture the pursuit of knowledge.

Environmental conservation in Kenya is still for the most part viewed as the preserve of activists and conservationists. This programme will attempt to address this dichotomy through eco-education programmes and initiatives including waste reduction hacks, resource conservation and recycling tips to demonstrate how practicing sustainability can lead to reduced household expenditure. A key part of this programme is the installation & maintenance of community gardens in each of the library spaces and, through partnerships, the broad utilisation of these spaces to pilot practices that users can implement in their homesteads as well as generate income from.

Impact

We hope to achieve the following impact through the Green Bunk programme;

Plant a Book Bunk offset forest each year
Increased eco-friendly and recycling habits are evident in the library community
Create cleaner and greener communities around the library first, and elsewhere later
Develop a curriculum for eco-education programming that can be replicated and rolled out at all three library branches

Growth

Our long-term goals include;

Community gardens are fully managed by library users
Recycling becomes the norm in our library community, measured by frequency of trash collections.
Green Bunk nurtures a crop of eco-warriors and facilitates the expansion of the programmes via these individuals, essentially graduates of our programmes.
Green Bunk begins to provide economic opportunities for its graduates through skills acquisition
Plastics up-cycling program
In the long term, develop and pilot a curriculum for eco-education programming that can be replicated as needed and delivered annually at the library.

SUPPORT: Book Bunk is seeking in-kind and fiscal partnerships to support the establishment and operation of Green Bunk. To get involved, please contact Sahar McTough at sahar@bookbunk.org