Normally when a gang of people breaks into a building in the middle of the night it’s because they are desperate to get something for themselves. But not this time. In the early hours of 18 December 2015, a fire broke out in the Mzuzu University library. A group of people ripped through the burglar bars and braved the smoke and heat to bring out as many computers and books as they could from the main library and the adjoining children’s library…only to have them destroyed by rain before they could be taken to another building!

Some students studying at tables near the main stacks of the the library
Students studying at tables near the main stacks of the library
Now there is nothing left of the area except some twisted shelving and collapsed roofing material
Nothing is left in the study area except twisted shelving and collapsed roofing material

Both collections of books and the school’s main computer lab were completely destroyed. This kind of loss at a university is always a big deal, but it’s especially critical here because the students and many staff (myself included) don’t have their own textbooks. We rely completely on the library collection. Fortunately, I was able to purchase a book through Amazon.com, have someone carry it to Malawi for me, and now I just have to get to the capital city to pick it up. But the students and most faculty don’t have that option–they just won’t have any books!

The main entrance to the library before the fire
The main entrance to the library before the fire
Entrance After
The main entrance after the fire

So now begins the rebuilding. The grand plan includes construction of a new library at a cost of several million dollars, but for now the main lecture hall is being converted into a library to house what books there are. About 300 books have been donated locally and several dozen more have been collected by a faculty member who is currently studying in Australia. But there are still more than 2,000 books that are urgently needed for the courses that are offered at the University. We’re now in the process of finding the best way for people and organizations to send books and other materials to help with restocking the library, and I’ll let you know in the near future what we’ve come up with.