Local needs; global help: soliciting funds for a library in an isolated community in Papua New Guinea.

Rural communities in Papua New Guinea (hereafter PNG) have been having problems accessing much needed information, while traditional bodies of knowledge are slowly disappearing as the old generation passes on. A possible agent to spread information in a school library as this paper argues. Schools are best located in rural areas and aside from providing information to school children and teachers it can also be used as a medium to spread information to rural communities. However, Schools without a library are a problem in PNG and will continue to be so unless initiatives are taken to allow for expansion of this service to Community and High Schools in the country. Learning not only occurs in classrooms, but students must be encouraged to read and expand their knowledge. Within Wantoat there are thirteen community schools and that the plan is to have a network of library service to all community schools in the District in future. The Leron- Wantoat case study discussed in this paper outlines plans for school library network in the district. It discusses what has been done at the planning stages and a further review will be needed after the project has been implemented and results of actions observed during the operations of the library network. It is also meant as an advisory paper for those who may be interested in doing similar projects for their own areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]