Extending School Library and Community Information Services to a Scattered Population: Papua New Guinea

To those wishing to promote an active viable library service, Papua New Guinea presents many problems similar to those of many other developing countries. But just as many unique problems occur which will continue to hamper any large-scale library extension project. The topic of this paper cannot be practically applied to Papua New Guinea because of the lack of an active school library service. This paper will, therefore, concentrate on the problems that will affect this future project and suggest possible solutions to some of them. I wish to begin by giving a brief summary of my early school experience. By doing so, I hope to draw your attention to the poverty of the primary schools. I think the primary school is the ideal setting for this project because they are found right across the country.