Nowadays, digital technology has become an essential tool for education. In Burkina Faso, digital technology is a tool that can make education more accessible and improve student performance if used properly.

Digital libraries are also a way to provide schools with more learning resources.
DEF Burkina Faso is currently setting up a dozen digital libraries, such as the one we recently installed at the Lycée Privé Sompingda in Songdin.

A school library is very important for a school. It provides students with additional resources for learning.
Unfortunately, many schools in Burkina Faso do not have a library for their students and this is a major handicap for their learning process.
Today, information and communication technologies (ICT) are indispensable tools for learning. A transition to digital education is underway that should help improve student performance.
To support schools in the digital transition of learning resources, DEF Burkina Faso has set up a project called “digital libraries for schools in Burkina Faso” .
The aim of this project is to install digital libraries with a computer room, so that students can use them to access digital resources.
As part of this project, we have set up a digital library with a computer lab equipped with 15 laptops at the Lycée Privé Sompingda de Songdin in the rural municipality of SAABA in Burkina Faso.
The online system we have set up consists of:
 a) Library Management System
The school has a small library with about thirty books. Students have paper forms for registering, borrowing and returning books.
To enable the school to better manage the existing library, we have installed an Open Source library management software (PMB).
Thanks to this software, the school library is now managed digitally. Subscriptions, book loans and returns are carried out directly from the software. 

 b) Online learning resources
To give students access to more learning resources for their learning process, we have installed Open Source software (Moodle) that allows teachers to put learning resources (lessons, exercises) online so that students can access them from the computers in the digital library.

    c) Computer lab
We have set up a computer lab with 15 laptops that are connected to the internet.
Students can use these computers to access the digital library and also to conduct research on the Internet.

The completion of this project has made an important educational contribution to the school, which now has more resources and tools to allow teachers to better guide their students.
We are currently looking for partners so that other schools can also benefit from a digital library.

Project Donors
1. Rijnlands Lyceum www.isrlo.nl
2. Wireless Leiden www.wirelessleiden.nl
3. betuwe wereldwijd www.betuwewereldwijd.nl