Frequently Asked Questions About Building A Library

Any community can apply, as well as any individual on behalf of a community which is lacking a public library and where the individual believes that a library would improve the quality of life, access to education and learning opportunities of that community. Every application should be consulted with the community members prior to submission. 

The communication language is English. Although we do have libraries in countries where English is not widely spoken, we ask that ALL application documents are filled out in English and that the person who is chosen to represent the community speaks English as well.

Our communication will be primarily via email. However for convenience we also can accept photos and updates about your library via WhatsApp.

We try to provide books that are requested by the community based on their needs. However it is not always possible to get all needed books. We provide books in English and French. We also put aside budget for books in local languages if available.

Most of our books are donated books from our supporters: these are children books, education books from high schools and universities and novels. We can organise collection for specific books if requested.

The library must be open to all people, no matter their race, gender, religion, age, political view or sexual orientation.

The community has to contribute towards the costs of the library. Members of the community can give support by means of volunteer work or by providing raw materials (sand, cement, stones, wood…), a building that can be reconstructed and refurbished, timber for bookshelves or anything else needed. The cost of contribution shall be no less than 20% of total costs. The type of contribution should be stated on the application.

Finally, the community has to give us regular report on activities and changes in the library.

It can take anything from one month to 3 years for a library application to be processed and library constructed. We are a small group of volunteers with full time jobs and studies and therefore our time is limited. There are many factors involved in the process of library construction such as fundraising, documentation, books collection and books transportation.

The speed of the application process also depends on how fast you can deliver all needed documents. Very often we receive insufficient or outdated information and incorrectly filled in forms. Read carefully our community manual, which explains what documents are needed.

We have a pool of complete applications from libraries around the world. At the beginning of each year we choose around 5 new library projects to be supported in a given year. We choose the projects based on our budget, their responsiveness but also other factors such as our volunteers visiting certain countries or planned shipment of books by our partners. Therefore, throughout the year we might decide to add or change some of the projects.

This is due to the fact that we might for example receive a grant that is prioritizing a library in a specific country or our partners might be sending books to another, where communities can directly benefit.

Each community can apply for a library with a budget of up to 1 500 EUR (books excluded). Budget should be divided into three to four phases (e.g. construction, painting, furniture). Bookfeeding Project will only send money for the next phase, after receiving financial reporting including receipts and photos of the previous phase.

Each community has to contribute towards the expanses of the library. This contribution should be of around 20% of the total cost and can be contributed also in form of raw materials (sand, timber) or labour.