Library as a Community

On Teacher’s day I received four beautifully handcrafted cards with heartwarming messages that read “Dear Teacher, thank you for the library books”. I was taken aback because I somehow did not fit the criteria of a teacher. In fact after joining the Aldona Institute Library and Alban and Aurora Couto Library I became a student constantly learning from children who come from diverse communities. My role here is primarily to connect children to books, but over the past months it has gone beyond. I now feel a connection to a community that has so beautifully bonded with this reading space. 

The Alban Couto Community Library was initiated in the year 2018 in a shop at the Parish Centre, supported by the vision of Padma Shri awardee, Dr Mrs Maria Aurora Couto (1937 – 2022). The Library catered to the reading needs of the children and became a beacon during the Covid lockdown. What I liked most about the space was that no one would walk by without stopping to look or  browse through books. Such was the inclusive and welcoming nature of the library which had a carefully curated collection of children’s books. Although the collection was refreshed twice a year, the need for a larger space became evident with the growing number of members and non members. When we approached the Aldona Institute for a possible space, the Aldona Institute Managing Committee stepped forward and offered to the community their library room – an old world charm of the 60s. People fondly recall that in the 60’s and 70’s they would rush to read magazines and books. Sadly with the advent of TV and later the internet, the library took a back seat. In April, the space was rejuvenated and refreshed with many new books being added to the collection. On May 1, 2022 Aldona witnessed the coming together of two libraries to form The Aldona Institute Library and The Alban and Aurora Couto Community Library, managed by the Bookworm Trust and continues to be supported by the Couto family and the community of Aldona. 

I continue to be amazed about each new day in this exhilarating space which brings with it a myriad of refreshing Stories. During my read-aloud to a young four year old who is as quiet as a church mouse, I have learnt how to let his thoughts ramble . All I have to do is show him the book, ‘Amazing Monster trucks’ by Robert B Crowther and before you know it, his imagination has wandered to a construction site in his neighborhood telling me all about the building activity going on there. I have observed that little children engage well with board books, touch and feel, pop ups and puppet books. It gives them the opportunity to explore stories using all their senses. It creates in them so much excitement and wonder when they open and close a paper closet, bring a fabric bee to life with their fingers or feel the shiny scales on a mermaid’s tail.  

I had a teen asking me if she could use the space for her writing assignment and why not , after all, our main occupants on the shelves are books written by people across nations and cultures. It is interesting to understand through insightful  book conversations and book discussions why these have made it to the shelves or why many have not. The collection of themed books includes stories on migration, death, nature, diversity, disability, anything that connects them to the real world. The most sought after books for teens and pre teens is the series on fantasy and science fiction. ‘Artemis Fowl’ by Eoin Colfer and ‘Wings of fire’ by T Sutherland are always a huge hit in the library.

“This library is a favourite of our family. Their books are carefully and lovingly curated, arguably the best collection of children’s literature in the world! We could spend all day every day here” writes a parent.  Another parent writes “The Library has an impressive collection of books from comics to novels and everything in between. In our family children and adults alike are always spoilt for choice. My eldest daughter enjoys fiction and is always delighted to find a ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Nancy Drew’. My younger one loves the collection of books on value stories and books about true life stories”.

Overall, the space has an energy that it draws not just from its collection, but from the children as well. When books get paired with workshops you get to see magical creations be it in weaving a mandala or creating a funny comic strip. The book  ‘If I ran the zoo’ by Roald Dahl used for a clay art workshop evoked such unusual creations by children. Who would have thought that a combination of a cockroach and a cat would result in a Cataroach.  An eight year old sat for over twenty minutes quietly because she believed that she cannot draw.  All it took for the art educator was to hold her hand with a paint dipped brush and move it around on paper, from there on the little girl took off, and created a radiant moonlit night; the art that came out was astounding. Children have sad feelings too, the ones that are stuck deep inside and through the Mehlli Gobhai visual art program they have learnt how to release it through their abstract drawings. Not only that, Children also get to choose the collection twice a year. Visits are scheduled where children go to the Panjim library and choose the books they would like in their collection. In addition we have a library program for preschoolers which in a fun way introduces these little ones to books. When dupattas turn into caves,  a paper King walks behind sheers and spooky butter cookies  look out from cakes boxes, you know that stories are coming alive. You may suddenly hear peals of laughter or catch a twinkling eye. This is when the children are fully engaged. It’s their imagination that takes over and they keep coming back for more.

I’d like to describe the Aldona Institute Library and the Alban and Aurora Couto Community library as a Community. It has a divine feel to it with true community spirit, where children experience a sense of belonging. It is a coming together of cultures, a meeting place; there is something about the richness that each one adds. You see it when parents donate their children’s pre-loved books. When an artist, a writer, a resource person who all live here enrich the space with their creativity. When social media posts by the community encourage children to value the space and treat it like a treasured possession. Adults turning back the clock wanting to read children’s books. The library stands tall with grace and wisdom embracing everyone with open arms.