Thinking outside the (Ideas) Box

Abstract

Libraries Without Borders is an international nonprofit organization committed to the transformative change education can effect in post-disaster contexts, particularly refugee camps. In 2014, Libraries Without Borders launched the Ideas Box, an innovative and portable library space, to extend the benefits of libraries to isolated communities. Since then, impact studies have revealed the Ideas Box’s positive influence on educational gains, community building, and psychosocial healing in refugee camps. As it continues its work, Libraries Without Borders seeks to expand international opinions on what constitutes ‘lifesaving’ aid, given the dramatic benefits of education for refugees both in the short term and long term. Similarly, Libraries Without Borders hopes to expand conventional definitions of libraries to promote alternative solutions such as the Ideas Box in communities that do not have the resources to support traditional library spaces.