The eLibrary Project Partnership seeks to make a difference in education by introducing essential digital resources (encyclopedias, books, training videos, etc.) to schools in remote areas where the Internet is at best spotty if not altogether unavailable. (See Why eLibrary?; SOME project locations: library.ph/locs / SOME of the original Tambayayong eLib locations: library.ph/locations; Testimonials; Project Brochure). Project Contact: [email protected]

The eLibrary is a platform of engagement, for getting together to help improve K-12 instruction, share educational resources, and enhance the overall experience of teaching and learning. See sample engagement-flow-for-tambayayong-elib-box.

Every eLibrary Project is a partnership between a school and the eLibrary Project champions. The hardware and technologies that make up the Tambayayong eLibrary System (TeLS) or the Library In a Box support the partnership formed around the idea of technology-assisted holistic education. Every partner school has to take ownership of the Project by incorporating the eLibrary into its teaching and learning activities. Teachers have to demonstrate substantial use of the system by incorporating its materials in their lesson plans and instructional activities. Students need to reflect certain materials from the eLibrary in their learning portfolios, book reports, curricular and non-curricular activities. School administratrors also have to provide supporting infrastructure and to encourage greater utilization of the eLibrary service.

The “product” is a stand-alone, browser-accessible repository of digital resources: the eLibrary. Students and teachers will use a wifi access point (“Tambayayong eLibrary”), open the browser and point it to “library.ph” (or 172.24.1.1) to access the repository. No internet required.

Project champions may consider “socialising” through the Tambayayong eLib Facebook group. A community bulletin board is also being considered.

Project Sponsors would provide the hardware necessary for the deployment of the Tambayayong eLibrary system. For deployment in a big school with hundreds of students, project sponsorship involves supplying the server, local area network (LAN) gears, some workstations, and a wifi access point (WAP). These gears will have to be provided by Project Sponsors.

For small schools, a project sponsor would shoulder the direct cost of the Library In a Box.

Project Sponsors may also have to spend for the transportation and accommodation of Technology Providers.

Project Implementation in Masbate
An initial Project Implementation in Masbate for 7 schools is being funded by the University of the Philippines Diliman. An expansion is being considered with possible funding support from a national foundation.

Project Implementation in Cebu
Initial work is with Catmon LGU.

Project Implementation in Bohol
Initial work is with a local faith-based organization (United Church of Christ in the Philippines)

Project Implementation in Mainit, Surigao del Norte
Currently the Project in Mainit, Surigao del Norte is funded by diasporic philanthropy of some people who used to reside in communities where the eLibrary is implemented. You may donate through their organizations or initiatives:

Paypal / Facebook (Mainitnon, Inc - North America):

Gava (Tambayayong Mainit, Inc - Philippines):
Leetchi (private initiative in Amsterdam):

Other Sites
Other groups may provide project sponsorship or work with other technology providers. Contact Project Staff ([email protected]) for similar arrangements.

For other sites, other funding models are also being explored, including Special Education Fund (SEF) of LGUs and funding from faith-based philanthropy.

Technology providers would set up the eLibrary System at the school. Pre-deployment preparations have to be done by the technology providers as well.

For a scaled-up deployment, the technology support providers need to partner with colleges or institutions nearby capable of technically supporting the project. This can mean providing a trainors' training on the setup and deployment of the eLibrary system as well as on the training of school teachers and students.

At the school site, the technology support providers have to conduct training among the school faculty on the use of eLibrary System. Students (either en masse or through their representatives) will also have to be engaged on the use the materials in the eLibary.

Teachers will have to propose specific plans to make the utilization of the eLibrary resources as a centering activity for various aspects of the school's academic life. For instance, a teacher may commit to include the use of the eLibrary in his lesson plan.

Students are to be encouraged to do activities that incorporate the eLibrary resources into their learning portfolios or experiences.

School administrators may propose creative ways of incentivizing the utilization of the eLibrary resources by students and teachers.

See also integrating-the-elibrary-in-teaching-and-learning.

The initial contents of the eLibrary in a Box are indicated here. They are primarily for K-12 instruction. Other use cases of the eLib could mean different sets of contents, to be determined by the eLib's principals or technology providers.

The contents of Tambayayong eLibrary System (TeLS), on the other hand, are self-curated by teachers and administrators of the partner school. The initial contents may include open resources from Open Ebooks, Project Gutenberg, Many Books, Didactalia, or those sources with creative commons licenses like Khan Academy andTed.

Donated digital resources may also be included. The instructional needs of the school are scoped, before the contents are put together and the Tambayayong eLib gets deployed.

• Direct Cost. The direct cost of the Project is related to the hardware necessary to deploy either the Tambayayong eLibrary System (TeLS) or the Library in a Box. Schools with hundreds or thousands of students will likely need the former, which means deploying enterprise servers (ranging from P50,000 to P150,000–depending on the hardware specs to serve a certain number of concurrent users), enterprise wifi access points (about P30,000), gigabit switch (about P5,000).
  
  The Library in a Box, on the other hand, only requires a microcomputer (Raspberry Pi - about P3,500 per kit, including power supply, heat sink and casing) and Class 10 microSD (about P1,200).
  
  Recommended Add-on: access devices (like Android Tablets - about P3,000 a piece) to be stationed at the physical library of the school.
  
  
• Indirect Cost. Indirect costs (like accommodation and fare) are shouldered by project partners.
• Sustainability. See tambayayong-elibrary-project-sustainability.

• access devices. Used smart phones, tablets, laptops may be donated directly to partner schools.
• eLib Box components: Raspberry Pi 3 microcomputers, microSD cards, power supplies, heatsinks. Donate these through technology service providers in coordination with partner schools.
• digital materials. If you are in a position to legally share appropriate digital materials, they may be donated to eLib Project's curators or technology service providers who in turn will incorporate your materials to the repository.
• promotional materials. If you have the talent to help develop promotional materials, let us know.

Email [email protected] or [email protected] if you wish to help or offer your time for the eLib Project.

• Tambayayong eLibrary System (TeLS)
• Library in a Box