The South Africa (SA) Exchange Study Tour 2000 took place between 27 October and 4 November, as part of Phase Two of the LPYL Project. The preparations and arrangements for the tour started, however, a considerable time before this - and almost as soon as the new project manager was contracted to the project in August. The tour - and the work that preceded it - was intensive, hectic but exciting

For the tour this year, the SE and SA Reference Groups agreed that three provincial study tour groups should be arranged rather than one group travelling to all places together. It was felt that the tour would have greater learning and financial value in this way.

To exchange ideas and experiences between Swedish and South African participants about (i) ways of defining and increasing library-related resources for school learners and educators; and (ii) strategies for implementing a school library plan, networking and lobbying at the local level

The two outcomes anticipated as a result of the exchange study tour are:

(i) Exposure of participants to alternative and open ways of defining resources and networking for library development at the local level

(ii)         Demonstration by participants by means of written reports after the study tour of how their practices have changed in relation to the strategic objective of the study tour

Working materials for the tour, as well as provincial programmes and itineraries, were prepared with these objectives and outcomes in mind.

These objectives and outcomes will also be used for the exchange study tour to Sweden in May 2001.

Working materials and the seminar programme were designed around these outcomes to ensure a focus on them throughout the weekend and support effective learning.

In spite of extreme tiredness from travelling a long way for some, and starting work in the early evening for others after a working day, participants were involved and committed at the seminar and enjoyed their time together to the full - both during the day and in the evening.

Both Dr Paterson and the Futurekids presenters were much appreciated by the participants. Andrew Paterson spoke on the work he had recently completed concerning an audit of the current situation regarding school libraries in SA, Futurekids gave a dynamic presentation concerning the use of Information Communication Technology in learning and teaching in schools - an excellent example of alternative library related resources. (Unfortunately, Dr Paterson’s presentation cannot be released in written form until approval has been received from the relevant government officers. It will be circulated once it is available.)

A lively lunch ended off the seminar after a morning spent by the study tour groups making preparations for their provincial field trips, whilst the SA group enjoyed June’s workshop. Gifts were exchanged. The SA librarians received books donated by the Swedish group and certificates of participation in the project presented by the Project Manager.

  The provincial field visits were planned by the project manager working very closely over a considerable period of time with people in the field such as in the field librarians, school staff, district, provincial and national officers. The objectives and outcomes expected from the tour guided the development of these programmes and itineraries - as well as themes chosen by the SA Reference Group for the visits. The themes chosen made it easier to select the provinces and institutions to be visited. (Where provinces were not selected for visits, the project schools in these provinces were invited to make a presentation on their phase one activities during the weekend seminar. In this way, all project schools participated in the tour)

Some members of the SA Reference Group had been asked to act as group study tour leaders - and others had been invited to be present at the seminar. Johnny’s (Jacobs) presence at the seminar was highly valued - both as one of the few men there (!) but also for his conviviality and detailed working knowledge of the Project (particularly from Phase one).

Preparations for the provincial field trips had been challenging. The results, however, made every piece of hard work worthwhile.

At the debriefing session, the colourful reporting of experiences from participants recently returned from all over the country made an extremely interesting geographic and social collage of library practice and development in South Africa.

The people in the different locations, as well as study tour group leaders, had done a magnificent job of planning and preparation for the visits. An amazingly warm welcome was extended to our Swedish colleagues wherever they went.

Displays of traditional dancing, music and singing filled the air and entertained the groups as well as providing unique learning experiences regarding the definition of library-related resources.

Some of the photos from the visits tell far more in pictures than words can ever convey about the uniqueness and colourful nature of the provincial field visits.

Once back in Johannesburg, the field visit groups started a two-day period of debriefing about their field visits Time was spent discussing and describing learning experiences from the different provinces.

The session was conducted in a structured way, with a programme and facilitator, so that learning experiences were reflected on and recorded for use in the final written reports to be produced by the Swedish group on their return home.

Participants were asked to work in different groups from the field visit groups they were part of. In this way, it was hoped to encourage participants to exchange their different experiences and to learn what visits and activities their colleagues had undertaken in different provinces and locations. The process was very successful and resulted in the exchange and presentation of many different and colourful experiences on a range of issues. Each new group comprised three participants who had between them visited a range of six provinces of the nine in the country. And, although participants were really tired after an extremely intense and hectic period of travelling (often very long distances!) of learning and celebrating with the communities waiting to welcome them, the session was vibrant and productive.

Although the session was scheduled to finish at lunchtime on the last day, the group continued talking and discussing until 5 o’clock that afternoon. Some photos included in the tour photo record show what happened in the session.

  A number of instruments and processes were devised to evaluate what happened in the seminar and on the study tour and to determine the learning value and overall successful outcome. The tools used were -

(A report detailing the full results of the tour evaluation is available on request from the LPYL project manager.)

Understanding that networking is not communicating in general but that it is a specific process of communicating with specific objectives with particular groups of people

• Understanding that lobbying is not raising funds and is more than a party political tool and that it relates to a larger arena than just the local level 
  
• Understanding that the key problems facing SA library development relate not only to what is being experienced at first hand in schools - lack of resources, finances, inadequate space and so on. These are symptoms of a far deeper malaise - the lack of value placed on libraries because of a lack of a clear understanding and articulation of their benefits 
  
• Defining open and alternative library related resources to develop a common understanding of what they are (the worksheets appear to indicate that ICT is understood by many people as the sole focus of open and alternative learning resources. For other people, however, museums, cultural performances and storytelling, for example, qualify as open and alternative library related resources
  
• Whereas the understanding of ICT as a library related resource and its benefits is relatively well understood, understanding of the hardware and its parts and how computers work appears very limited 
  
• Understanding the detailed contents of library policies and development plans and where these contents belong (ie whether the issue is a policy or planning issue)

A time for small groups discussion and debating of the issues, and then presentations to the joint group for comment and recording of findings, resulted in the following key areas of learning:

It was agreed that a detailed record of the Swedish group’s learning experiences will be given in two phases as follows:

Phase One- one joint report to be compiled as soon as possible