Mega Project 8 — Blog 2 (Update)
Last time, we conducted the research phase of our book exchange drive. This blog is an update to that where we discuss the present phase of the project and how far we have come.
Progress:
After the research phase of the book exchange, we got straight to work. After sitting down in a weekly meeting and discussing possible approaches, we decided to conduct the exchange drive physically in a local school or college with sponsorship from local booksellers.
A Facebook group was created to engage people interested in the exchange drive and to conduct an online phase of the drive in case the physical phase fails for some reason. About 140 people were added to the group.
On Saturday the 29th of January, two schools, The American Foundation School and the Smart School, along with a college, the Everest College, were approached. A proposal was presented along with a 30-second brief of the exchange drive motives and plan.
Besides that, two local booksellers were also approached for sponsorship. However, the schools did not respond on time and the booksellers demanded a hefty security deposit which wasn’t even guaranteed to be paid back at full price.
Hence, another weekly meeting was called on Tuesday the 1st of February to discuss the future plan for the project. After the meeting, it was decided to conduct the drive online via the Facebook group and to conduct the physical phase on a smaller level, among known friends and acquaintances.
Challenges and Solutions:
During the course of the project, a few challenges were faced:
- Lack of Interest from Host Schools and Colleges:
One of the biggest challenges that we faced was that schools and colleges were simply not interested in the drive, despite our representative members explaining the importance of the drive. This interest may have been due to many reasons, including ongoing exams, a busy schedule, or restrictions due to COVID.
2. Lack of Cooperation from the Booksellers for Book Sponsorship:
When the booksellers were approached for the sponsorship, they were willing to cooperate and provide us with as many old books as we wanted, as long as a security deposit was provided. The booksellers promised to give the money back depending on how many books we brought back and the value they held, but there was no provided guarantee for us that our payment would be returned to us.
3. COVID Protocols Hindering Physical Drives:
Another challenge that we faced was that COVID protocols in schools and colleges were hindering the physical phase of our drives. It was near impossible for us to convince the schools to provide us with a platform provided that students were already spending half-days and coming on alternative days for their classes. These strict measures hindered our approach.
Solution:
To combat all of the above 3 problems, we decided to instead shift the drive online. We utilized the Facebook group that had already been made and created and posted a Google Form that would be used to keep a record of the books we have up for an exchange. These books would then be made available for exchange via a Zoom meeting where people would be able to communicate and make the exchange possible.
Additionally, a physical phase of the drive would be conducted but on a smaller scale among friends, acquaintances, and anyone who is on board with the idea. In the future, this will also help to promote and create a healthy network of book exchangers.
Changes in Approach:
We changed our approach due to the problems and challenges we faced till now. In the beginning, we thought to organize a physical book exchange program. But as we contacted the schools and colleges, we did not get a good response from them. We even contacted old booksellers to convince them for providing books for exchange. But most of them were not ready for it and some of them wanted to charge a lot for providing books.
Hence, we changed our approach, in that case, to go for an online session and convey our idea to most people through social media. In the beginning, we felt that the approach was not favorable for us and we only took it as our Plan B if somehow the physical phase was not possible due to COVID. But as some education institutions were not ready for our idea, we took as our plan A.
We have made a lot of significant changes after our last blog. Up till the last blog, we had only done the research and ideated about the drive but no implementation had been made. Additionally, no plan had been made for proceeding with the idea. So after that now we have a plan to proceed and implement the drive and also make it sustainable, as our focus is not only to make it possible but also to make it sustainable.
Impact:
Our impact after the research phase and sending questionnaires to all our networks is that most of the respondents are interested in our idea and they want to be a part of it. Some of them even contacted us after we had made a Facebook group and within a week we had about 145 members in the group, who are not only connected with us but are also willing to actively participate in the drive.
While we are entering the implementation phase of our project, we are convinced that we can persuade them about our idea of a book exchange.
Additionally, a Google Form was created and circulated for the group members to enter information about the books they have up for exchange as well as the books they want to receive through the exchange.
Sustainability:
We want to create a bridge through which people can exchange and share knowledge with each other.
Our mission is to create a legacy that stands in the long run and is useful for society. Our priority is to make a book list and share it with those people who want to exchange their books.
This is not a temporary project. We plan on collecting different people’s data regarding their reading habits.
On that behalf, we can provide people with a platform like our Facebook page and WhatsApp group where they can find create and share the same genres’ books with each other on a long-term basis.
When we analyze people’s reading of genres on these bases, we ask them and share emails and contact numbers with other people who want to exchange books with them.
In this way, we create an everlasting network of people who don’t need a centralized page or team to aid them in the exchange. We will also provide resources for people living outside of Karachi to make inter-city exchanges.