Bookworm’s Traveling Library, which began in 2022, has enabled us to encourage children to borrow books of their choice, across schools and communities. The Mobile Outreach Program (MOP) at Bookworm started with an idea that if a child cannot come to the library, the library should visit the community and reach children. The Travelling Library became a part of MOP and also an intervention in schools . Our relationship with schools and children were strengthened when the traveling library started visiting schools across Salcete and Mormugao Talukas in Goa. In 2022, we were able to engage over 800 children through the Travelling Library .
If I talk about the Libraries in Schools program which is supported by the Cipla Foundation, books have reached different talukas across Goa linking all the schools with a beautiful experiences of Libraries. I have completed a year closely working with Libraries in Schools at Bookworm and have experienced different activities and programs held through the Library.
In 2022, we reached out to more than 100 schools to extend the Library through two different interventions: the book box program and the travelling library program. The Traveling Library has not just delivered books to schools across Goa but has also delivered book joy. The team goes to specific schools with the Traveling Library Van and invites children into the van who in turn browse and select books to borrow and take them home. Visits happen twice in a month to the respective schools and the book exchange journey continues.
When I went along with my team to lend the books to children the session would include a small warmup with interesting theater games, singing Library songs and an inclusion of library activities in the sessions like Book Talks , Book Browsing Games, Read Aloud, Visual Art , library games and literacy games. Children come running once the van is parked on campus. We have nicely decorated the van in such a way that it cannot be called a van but a beautiful space with a rich and diverse collection. The Library van contains shelves which are tagged under different categories like Fiction, Non Fiction, Board Books, Novels, Comics , and Languages. The collection is also organised as per age recommendations.
The engaging part of this library access to the children has been the activities and book browsing time that fascinates the children. A few responses from the children:
S from Our Lady of Succour -Verna Nagoa shares that she waits for the Library van to come so that she can borrow a new book for the week. She also shared that she waited to read Rapunzel from her siblings but did not get her turn to read but she found her favorite book in the Travelling Library Van which really made her happy.
A from St. Joseph Primary School, shares that the books she borrows and takes home, she shares them with all her friends in the neighborhood. Her friends too get to read because of A.
Children wait for their Library day to exchange the book and take home a new one.
While interacting with children I also got to learn that there are book recommendations that happen internally and they come ready to borrow books that they have heard about from their friends. The excitement is always different and increases each time the team visits the school. We have sensed the responsibility and attachment towards the book that is taken by a child.
The wonderful experiences of the children has made the program and its bond stronger this year. Musical Books are now their favorite game. Our hearts are filled with joy, and we want to continue spreading joy through this intervention. The van is not a van, but a reading, browsing and an active space that makes a child travel to a world of imagination. I am glad to be a part of this. The van always looks magical when filled with books and most importantly CHILDREN !
