Something old, something new...
Our library and café recently got a makeover. We went around with our camera to explore…
There’s change in the air at the Alliance Française de Karachi!
Our library and café recently got a makeover. We went around with our camera to explore…
Côté Jardin, our little café by the gardens, got a major overhaul. There's a new menu, a new chef, plants, and lots of art, photography, and posters on the walls.
Meanwhile, in the library, the books are settling into their new homes…
The pianoforte is sitting proudly in the center of the library, ready to greet bookworms and visitors…
One corner of the library is getting ready for the inauguration of Campus France Pakistan, where students and researchers curious about studying in France, can find resources and opportunities.
You’ve probably seen Hanif and Martin busy at work around the library these past few days, making things, painting furniture, moving around heavy bookshelves, and hauling in plants, cartons, and power tools. They’ve done all of this without a common spoken language, managing with a mixture of English, Urdu, and French. Bravo les gars !
Did you know that Hanif has been on the Alliance team for nearly a quarter of a century? So much of our work here wouldn’t be possible without his solid work ethic. Un grand merci to him and the rest of our team.
Come see all the revamped spaces for yourself!
Reimagining our Médiathèque
How can we redesign a library to be a diverse, multi-use space for creativity, reflection, discovery, fun and play—a place of life—open to the community? Find out what we learned in our recent médiathèque training.
A library should be more than just a quiet place with rows of bookshelves, desks, pin-drop silence, and people shushing each other.
Instead, imagine a diverse, multi-use space for creativity, reflection, discovery, fun and play—a place of life—open to the community. Imagine comfortable seating and colorful spaces where you can stop by after school or work or on the weekend to play board games with your friends, lounge around on a bean bag reading your favorite novels (or maybe writing one!), surf the internet on an e-tablet, find language learning material according to your level, listen to a live storytelling session, watch movies, or enjoy a tiny desk concert by the shelves. Of course, there should also be a study corner where conversations are allowed but loud noises are discouraged but that is just one part of what a library can be.
These are just some of the ideas our team explored with our trainer Florence Dimani at the Alliance Française de Karachi as we begin to rethink our library and médiathèque. Merci à Florence Dimani et à l'Institut Français pour cette formation animée et engageante !
Are libraries a part of your life? Have you visited the Alliance Française de Karachi library? If you have any ideas on how we can make the space more engaging and welcoming, we’d love to hear from you as we begin to think through this.
A look back at the AFK library
Take a look at these curious photos from our library over the years.
Students, pianists, friends, yogis, performers, visitors, loungers, snackers and chatters. We went through our archives and found these curious photos from our library, which has hosted many a rendezvous over the years. Take a look…
Credit: AFK / CAP Archive