If one looks at the dictionary meaning of ‘library’ it reads as a ‘room where books are kept’ or ‘a commercial establishment lending books for a fixed fee.’ A conceptual understanding that most people have about a library- including me.
When I was asked to observed one of the MOP (Mobile Outreach Program) sessions conducted by Bookworm, my eyes and mind were both opened simultaneously, as I realized that a library does not require a building – like setup, all it needs is books, people who are interested in books and can read and maybe a space where we one can read and talk about books. That was the first time I had learnt and seen a mobile library, a library that comes to you instead of you going to it.
When Gayatri, the Resource Person, began reading a story to the children, it reminded me of my favorite movie, ‘You’ve Got Mail’ where the story lady read a story to children in her bookstore. I remember thinking that this only happens in movies or perhaps in big , advanced, metro cities but I never thought story ‘read alouds’ and an atmosphere of story and books could happen in the small villages of Goa. Just like the movie, Gayatri too wore a hat that day, making my experience real and surreal.
After the book was completed, the library didn’t shut down nor did Gayatri start a new book but instead she used a conversational method to talk to the children about the book, gently checking to see if they understood and caught the nuances and the joy in the story read- aloud.
After attending several MOP sessions and visiting other Bookworm mobile library sites, I learnt that the activities are carefully planned making sure that the essence of the story telling is not lost. The activities, of course vary according to the age groups of the children. The children at the libraries are given the freedom to write, draw or even engage in craft activities as response to story activities or even just engagement activities. They are not only encouraged to read the books and borrow them but also encouraged to ‘Read Aloud’ themselves and not just listen.
The children are given several opportunities to explore their talents, interests and at times hidden talents come out in innocent ways.
After associating myself with MOP for about 2 months I learnt that sometimes all you may have to begin with is a dictionary meaning of a concept and then experience defines it deeply for you.
Anita Mathew
I just had to comment…the whole defining of a library like so many words cannot take a person to click on the obvious it’s a place to house or lend BOOKS..Leads to what is a book?? Especially in this day of digitisation…A book to love it like u would a person is what I liked how BW sees its work…And to get children to relate a book to personal experience is what makes the venture so relevant today…Can Google info but can u love that info????Relate to it understand it feel it …A book gets u to disappear from Ur reality very often twerks imagination your imagination and u begin to love the person u are when u relate to a story …Children grow best when they can listen to a story and BW created that space for them just not another ‘library’ of books but a library with books that become,????????❤️❤️❤️❤️
Gajendra Raut
I like the definition of the library evolved after experiences in the field. Definitions are not static and it keep changing as we get to know more about the world. Earlier I was also of the view that space is major factor when it comes to define the library, but as I started working in the field, I started realising that it needs books, people who can read and maybe a space where they can read and talk about books.