Editorial

Dear all (Mingalabar),

1. Editorial Now, it has been getting into a decade

from the time we have sowed the seeds
2. Activities @ Your Library of KanBawZa Youth Library and Reading
Club. Our team is serving g in social deve-
3. 55 Reasons to Love Your Library lopment activities and library work by
assuming ourselves as a public library.
4. Cartoon Thank to all and make appreciation records
for those, who have helped us standing till
5. Knowledge Column now and continue our services through warm
Suggestions and supporters’ volunteering and
6. Youth Column scholarlistic provisions.

7. Local Business News
Apart from and as the following step of our
team, now, we have begun to launch News-
letter program. Yet, we, the ten-year-old
Organization, are still waiting for all kinds
of helps for various needs. And, therefore,
we hereby respectfully ask for your positive
criticisms and suggestions for our activities.

Sincerely,

KanBawZa Youth Library and Reading Club

64, East Circular Road, Kanshae Quarter, Taunggyi, Myanmar.

kzylibrary@gmail.com,
yeyenay@gmail.com
Activities @ Your Library

Current Activities
As we have committed community development activities based on library and voluntary system in and
around Taunggyi, we would like to introduce our current activities in our very first newsletter.

Library Services
(a) Myanmar Library
Myanmar library is open for locals and books are organized by Dewey Decimal Classification System.
There are over variety of 5000 Myanmar books collection at Myanmar library. The books are on
children, education, encyclopedias, comic, novels, agriculture, environment, biography of famous people
and many kinds of book. We have imported current newspapers and up-to-date magazines and journals
every month.

(b) English Library

English Library is open for both locals and the ones who want to improve their knowledge and Language
skills. Over 20,000 English books are on the open shelves system at
English Library. As the library has been ten years old, many valuable
books are being used by nearly two thousand users and members. We
have received thousands of donated books from locals and international
organizations worldwide. We have a special collection of books for
students who prepare for their overseas study and we provide them
scholarship information as a part of library services.

(c) Mobile Library Service

We have started the mobile library service in 2006. The service is done by packing both hundred
Myanmar books and hundred English books and sends them to 30 libraries by bus or boat. Some
libraries are from Taunggyi and some are from Inlay region
and some libraries in Kayah state. The books are put into
boxes and covered with plastic bags and sent to the village
libraries. In our mobile library system, every library has to
keep the 200 books of Myanmar and English for two months.
After two months, we circulate the book boxes to the libraries
included in mobile library system. Children books are
especially demanded by the village libraries. We occasionally
invite the librarians from villages to our KanBawZa Youth
Libray and conduct a capacity building workshop on library
management, library services and books cataloguing.

Education Services
(a) Language Classes
As we have a very good resource of books
collection on education, we do some
educational activities in the library
building. We primarily have free-of-charge
language classes and some language classes
that charge money are for the purpose of
raising library fund. We have four
languages (English, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean) teaching from basic to advance
level in the library. English, Japanese and
Korean language classes are offered free-of-charge. Free-of-charge language classes and grammar
workshop are conducted by voluntary teachers. Touchstone discussion is one of the favorite activities and
conducted every Saturday. Touchstone discussion is organized by the voluntary facilitators for the
purpose of improving knowledge, language skills and presentation skill. Several interesting topics like
Global Warming, Culture, Viking, etc, are discussed in groups and presented by the presenter. We also
have audio session for listening skill.

(b) Free-of-charge Tuition Classes for State Education

Our club is based on voluntary system and welcome new voluntary teachers to participate in our
educational activities. We offer free-of-charge tuition classes for the state
education from Grade-1 to Grade-11 every academic year.

(c) Providing Scholarship Information

We have found a scholarship consultancy committee and providing
scholarship information and conducting education seminar at the library.
We have a strong network with international organizations which support
scholarship opportunities for Myanmar students. We give advices to the
students and help them with their preparation.

Agriculture
Farmer Field School, Inlay
For our outreach program concerning agriculture, we have opened up Farmer Field School Training (8
month duration) with the help of the voluntary agronomists and voluntary villagers at Wan-bae-inn
village, western bank of Inlay Lake, in 2007. The training participants are selected from many villages in
Inlay region and 30 trainees in each term.
The aim of Farmer Field School is to
learn how to;
a) grow perennial plant
b) get quality seeds.
c) make organic fertilizer
d) fulfill the kitchen’s needs
e) set up the fish farm

Entrenching Modern Education Program

As the library has grown up, we extend our activities by entrenching modern
education program which offers BIT (Basic Information Technology) training and
introducing world wide knowledge to every youth through internet. The computers
have now connected to the internet and give internet service. We also organize the
IT (Information Technology) seminar at the library every Sunday.
1. Use the library’s computers (free of charge) 34.
2. Keep up with the news and trends through 35.
Newspapers and magazines.
3. Check out the latest bestsellers. 36.
4. Prepare to tackle home improvement projects 37.
With how-to books and DVDs.
5. Borrow CDs and books before you buy them. 38.
6. Enjoy comfortable, safe study areas.
7. Find biographies of the great and the average.
8. Research your health concerns. 39.
9. Explore science, history and the world. 40.
10. Use consumer research print and websites to 41.
find best buys on what you want and need.
11. Investigate the best schools and colleges for 42.
yourself and your children. 43.
12. Enjoy story time with your child. 44.
13. Participate in a book club. 45.
14. Seek and find that rich uncle you never knew
about in our genealogy department. 46.
15. Learn to care for your iguana –or other pet.
16. Enjoy book talks for teens or adults. 47.
17. Get help with your science fair projects 48.
18. Find the movie of the book you enjoyed
–and vice versa!
19. Take a continuing education class.
20. Teach someone how to read. 49.
21. Relish the helpful assistance of librarians and
volunteers who enjoy assisting you and others. 50.
22. Research your local history. Maybe you’ll find 51.
out where the skeletons are buried in your town.
23. Learn another language. 52.
24. Ask your library to arrange a loan of a book or
other resource from another library.
25. Locate back issues of magazines and newspapers.
26. Look for the print or electronic book or 53.
magazine your spouse threw away in your library. 54.
27. Catch up on the classics.
28. Find selected foreign language books 55.
29. Save money by borrowing your library’s
collections of books, DVD’s, audio books, etc.
rather than buying them.
30. Join in community-wide affairs.
31. Enjoy good air conditioning when it’s hot and
snuggly warmth when it is cold.
32. Plan a vacation to anywhere
33. Discover a love poem for your significant
other.
Find out what else happened on the day you were born
Learn why all the fish died in your aquarium and how to
train your puppy.
Get help on preparing your will, trust, etc.
Learn how to write a good letter of resignation and a
new resume.
Check out a couple of great books on tape that the
whole family can enjoy on the drive to Grandma’s and
other distant places.
Find out how to replace your lost birth certificate.
Check your e-mail with our free Internet access
Get the lyrics or the CD of that old song you heard on
the radio 37 years ago.
Obtain forms for federal financial aid.
Find out where to obtain free government publications.
Learn how to secure a copyright and get the forms, too.
Get solid medical information from sources such as
MEDLINE.
Use our easy access website to find links to free
subscriptions to online resources and databases.
Find the correct temperature to cook your meal and food
Research ideas for statewide history day, and term
papers. Women’s History Month, Black History Month,
Children’s Library Week and more months, weeks
and days of note.
Turn in a list of books and other materials that you
would like to see the library acquire.
Check out the best books to read to your children.
Suggest improvements to your library and know your
suggestions will be appreciated.
Help your library by volunteering, participating in the
Friends group, assisting with special projects. Your
investment in time and ideas will pay off big time to
your community and to yourself.
Read the latest comic books before they become movies.
Use the convenient outside book drop when the library is
closed.
See original works of art on display.
.Knowledge Column
The profile of Taunggyi
Geographical Location
Landscape and Area
Taunggyi is situated between Latitude 20 degree, 45 minutes-54 seconds and Longitude 97 degree, 5
minutes-55seconds and 4712 feet above sea level. It is located in East Northern side and 416 miles away
from Yangon.
There is a range of mountain named Nwar Lae Bo in the east. It is 5755 feet tall and Taung Chun is 5612-
forest string area of Department of forestry administration. The towns connected to Taunggyi are Ho-
pone in the east, Kalaw in the west, Yard South in the north, Nyaung Shwe in the West Southern and Hsi
Hseng in the East Southern.
The area is 6.20 square miles long in the south and north and narrow in the east and west.

The brief history of the town

Before the existence of Taunggyi, there were
altogether 5 villages named as Mon Chal
village (currently Wa Pyar), Ham Bwar
village (Myae Phyu), Oo Si village (Oo Kyi
Khan), Ko Chal village ( Nyaung Pin Thar )
and lastly Tom Tee village( Ye Aye Quin).
The British colonized Burma in 1885. They
further tried to occupy Western frontier area
including Shan State. Afterward, they settled
down the army in Mong Hsawk (Mine
Thung) (Now South Eastern part of Ngwe
Shwe). The area was named as Fort Stedman
and became a small town. The British army
officer and Kengtung Sawbwa went to
Thailand for the case of border. They were
camping in Mon Chal village (Now in Tele-communication office) on the way back to Mong Hsawk.
During their stay, they were fascinated by the sight-seeing and natural landscape. Soon after that, the
place was named “Bender Baring” and became a town.
Local people, Shan called Pyon Tom Tee and Pa-Oh called “Don Tom Tee”. Based on this and the
representing of Background Mountain, It eventually became “Taunggyi”meaning Great Mountain.

Youth Column

Youths’ Voice on KanBawZa Youth Library and Reading Club’s Services and Activities

Ma Thida Moe (Grade-11)

“I see the library as a knowledge ocean which has a very good collection of books.”
“The library has many good books that I can’t get from outside book rentals or book shops.”
“It also has free-of-charge English language classes and group activities.”
Ma Htwe Kyi (B.Sc Phys)
“I have got much knowledge through reading the books from the library.”
“I can also join the free-of-charge language classes.”

Ma Nan Pun (B.A Eng)

“I got many new friends by coming to the library.”

Ma Yee Mon Ko (B.E Biotechnology)

“I want to thank to the responsible persons of the KanBawZa Youth Library and Reading Club for
having strong knowledge through reading and group discussion.”

Zayar Naing (B.A Eng)

“I come to the library to read and learn languages.” “There is no discrimination among users and
members.” “They are very friendly and helpful to each other and I get valuable knowledge.”

Nang Wint War Thein (Grade-8)

“My hobby is reading. I want to read many books.”

Nang Shwe War War Thann (Grade-6)

“Coming to the library becomes my habit and that habit makes me knowledgeable person.”
“I can also attend free-of-charge English language class.”

Local Business News

Current price of crops in the market in Taunggyi area (August)

Particular Unit (weight) Price (Kyats)

Garlic (lat-char) one viss 1000
sFermented Soya- ။ 860
bean
Pigeon pea ။ 1800
Tha-na-hpe’(cheroots ။ 2500
leaves)
Ginger ။ 500