Program Description
In 2001, in collaboration with OSI - Azerbaijan and IREX/IATP, national NGO MADAD will develop Community Information Resource Centers (CIRC) in regional Public Libraries of Azerbaijan. This joint project relies on information technology to address prevailing deficits in information, education and skill development that affect the youth of Azerbaijan, particularly among war-affected and the very poor.

The CIRC Program's mission is to help libraries overcome their past and transform themselves into truly public, service-oriented centers for the communities. Libraries should serve as focal points for establishing community information resource centers. This includes implementing adequate cost sharing and sustainability mechanisms that involve and promote ownership by the communities themselves.

The project focuses on transforming the city libraries of several rural and underserved districts into active information centers and provides access to computer and Internet literacy and connectivity. Each CIRC will consist of two main components:
- Computer Educational Center (CEC) for training and e-mail/Internet access;
- Reading room with an expanded newspaper and journal subscription.

Goals and Objectives
The broad goal of the project is to provide increased access to a wider array of information to the population in the regions of Azerbaijan through Community Information Resource Centers established throughout the country. By providing access to the Internet, to information, and to communications, the CIRCs will facilitate and encourage Azeris living in the regions to participate in global arenas of governance and business. The centers will act as catalysts for civic action. It is expected that through computer/internet access and training, the demand for internet services will increase rapidly and the commercial viability of for-profit internet outlets in the regions will rise as well.

Objectives:

• To provide access to periodicals (newspapers, journals) and books to more than 250,000 community members in 7 districts of Azerbaijan.
• To provide access to the Internet/e-mail
• To train librarians and system administrators by introducing new technologies
• To open Computer Education Centers that will provide training for more than 4,000 users with the following specific objectives:
  - To deliver and sustain hands-on training on multiple levels (introductory through advanced) for computer and Internet use, business application technology, web page design, typing classes, data server and hosting set-up, etc;
  - To provide orientation courses and outreach sessions for women and teenage girls that would not normally be included in standard business training, due to conflicting cultural values of rural settings (i.e., restrictive homes and traditional societal norms and gender roles).
• Organize English Language training courses at the CIRCs
• The CIRC will aid local NGOs and government entities in capacity building programs and training seminars on the uses of computers and the Internet in forming, managing, and expanding organizations and for running effective business systems for current managers.

Sustainability, Outreach and Expanded Linkages
The project aims to ensure financial and human resource sustainability. To that end the project includes inputs to ensure that each of the CIRCs is self-funded within a four-year period and fully managed by the library administration.

Financial Sustainability:
The CIRC will utilize the demand for services to create a gradual fee-for-service structure within the first year of OSI's commitment. Based on cost feasibility, MADAD envisions that over the course of 4 years the libraries will function as self-sustainable resource centers supported solely by local communities. Once the center(s) become fully operational, the income generated by client fees will be sufficient to cover all operational costs.

Human Resource Sustainability:
Extensive training has been included in the project design to ensure that the libraries' staff will be empowered not only to manage day-to-day affairs but also to take charge of program development. With adequate resources CIRCs staff will also receive training in writing proposals for funding to other international and educational foundations and agencies.

Outreach:
Linkages with other organizations and institutions (such as universities in the West) are an additional mechanism to ensure continued access to technical expertise. In addition, the project will increase the centers' sustainability through outreach; by establishing linkages between the libraries and secondary schools in the area. Once schools are linked to information pipelines the demand will self-sustain and a younger generation will also provide the technical resource pool.