Written by the Library Team, Bookworm
The library team at Bookworm is a small team who ensure that our libraries at Mala, Aldona and Saligao remain vibrant, accessible and engaging spaces. In this blog we look back at the calendar year 2023, traversing two fiscal and academic years. Captured here are voices of different team members, who reflected upon two big questions as we collectively tried to put 2023 into perspective :
- What was a positive change I noticed in the library and what effect did it have on readers?
- What was my learning about libraries and library work this year?
Yogita Gaonkar, Bookworm Library, Mala
When 2023 began, footfall in the library was low. We had been trying hard to bring more children and adults to the library. Library events have played a role in bringing in more children. However, I also realised that organising book sales brought more people from the local community into the library! During our first pre-loved books sale in August many people came to the library. They purchased books from the sale, browsed our library collection and some took membership too. This also created awareness about our in-house bookstore, Burrow.
Later in the year, we also started taking our Burrow Book store outside the library, to schools and community events. During such sales I often heard people from Panjim saying that they didn’t know about Bookworm Library and that they are keen to know more. It was lovely when some parents and children dropped into the library to explore, after meeting us at such sales.
My biggest learning this year was that I can be a reader too. This year I read many books from different rooms in the Bookworm Library at Mala. I am grateful for organisational processes and meeting times at Bookworm which enabled me to read with a purpose. I read books because I was holding Mobile Outreach sessions for children, I read books because I was part of a reading circle with colleagues, I read books because we frequently do Book Talks with colleagues. Through these books I learned about the financial problems of people, social attitudes about girls and boys, situations amongst literate and diverse families, and about various cultures. I read books closely, paying attention to details, something I had never done before.
Diksha Chodankar, Bookworm Library, Mala
It’s been one year since I joined Bookworm. What a wonderful year it was for me, filled with lots of happy moments,challenges,learning and new opportunities. This year I had the opportunity to be a part of professional development programs conducted by Bookworm. This year I also restarted my reading journey, which stopped somewhere when I passed out of school. At first I only read picture books, but now I have slowly started moving towards chapter books. I also take recommendations from the children who are coming to the library to read the books. I realised that unless I read books and know books well, I cannot have interesting conversations with children or make recommendations.
When I look back at the year, many special events dot my memory – The Author Hop we hosted for a few children’s literature writers, a book launch, author interactions and book sales. All these events made people more aware about our library.
Geeta Vaigankar, Bookworm Library, Mala
This year I have interacted more with visitors and members in the library. I have given them library tours and shared about the different kinds of memberships. I noticed that visitors appreciate the collection and the way the collection is organized in the library. Some also share that this is the first time they are experiencing this kind of a vibrant library. Through some of these interactions, I realised that members notice when we add new books to our collection. In fact, they eagerly await new books and issue them too! Some of them share how they enjoyed the books when they return it. I learnt it is important to refresh the collection regularly. I have enjoyed working on book displays this year. It is a powerful way to highlight books belonging to different themes and genres. Good displays automatically draw readers to books! I also participated in in-house professional development sessions and this was really helpful as I learnt many new skills and more about books.
Wendy D’sa, AACCL, Aldona
My learning for this year has been that a Resource person through their sessions play a crucial role in the library. How their sessions can lead children to the library and how children can be led to books. There was much to learn at workshops right from posters to props and book displays to plans. The session content, the art/craft material and even the colors used, the extension activities, the questions/ choice of words, tone, anything specific that was used to stimulate young minds, even the knack of taking discussions to its logical end.Personally, good sessions have helped me put together good themed displays. It has also given me ideas for interactive spaces. It has highlighted my own shortcomings that there is very little I know about the collection. This year a few more teenagers have come into the fold of the library and that’s quite wonderful. I observed that teenagers view stories from a different lens.
Priya Naik, VJKCC, Saligao
In the year 2023, I had the opportunity to engage with children as I started working with Bookworm. The task seemed daunting at first. But as I gradually eased into the role, I discovered that there was so much joy everywhere. The joy of being called a Library Teacher by the children, children waving and introducing me to their parents in public places as the Bookworm Library Teacher, children asking, “Miss Priya when are you taking the session?” Such joy that children wait for me! It was at the Vinay & Jean Kalgutkar Community Centre in Saligao where this journey unfolded.
However, as time passed, I found myself becoming more involved in the administrative work. I somehow lost the connection with the children in the middle of the year. A parent once asked, “Where are you Priya? You are not to be seen in the Library!” This was a wake-up call for me. This incident showed how important it is to be IN the library. I decided to rebuild my connection with the children. I started talking to them when I was in the library, reading stories with them, and spending time talking about books. I hope to find a better balance between administration and interactions in the library in 2024.
Milika Toppo, VJKCC, Saligao
When the year began, I was very new to library work. A big positive change for me is how I communicate with children and parents because earlier, I was scared to talk to them. However, once I started talking with children and parents, there were so many happy moments to look forward to! The children connected with the library in new ways because of our conversations.
Bookworm gave me many opportunities to enhance my professional identity through participation in the Library Mentoring Support group as well as in-house sessions. I give better book talks now because of continued practice with my colleagues. I also read much more this year – my relationship with books is stronger now than ever before.
Jennifer Thomas, Bookworm Library
This year gave me more reason to believe with conviction that “Small is beautiful.” While chasing big numbers and scale is coveted in the development sector today, my work with the library team at Bookworm gave me the privilege to hold on to the idea of nurturing relationships with children as a critical touchstone in the reading journeys that we are trying to foster. This is not to take away from the impact of our work – we reached thousands of children this year. Our work in the library helped us connect with smaller groups over longer periods of time. These relationships we are building, everyday, help us keep our work grounded and humane.
I learnt that consistency is key to our work. We’ve worked hard to keep our library programming diverse and engaging ,with three monthly calendars catering to different age groups and interests. This wouldn’t have been possible without collaboration. The larger Bookworm team has supported us with their time and ideas helping us connect more children with books. As a team we realised there are many moving pieces to hold together in a library – the collection, the space, the children & community and of course our vision for what libraries can be and should be. Collectively, we have come to see how important it is to have a sense of ownership over each of these. Despite everything that the digital age throws at us, I witnessed that the library can continue to be relevant for readers of all ages. We only have to listen carefully and act creatively and thoughtfully. We remain committed to the vision that Bookworm upholds.
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We planned meticulously, we prepared punctually and we ensured our libraries remained warm and welcoming spaces. While we did all this to ensure more community engagement, it is humbling to see how much each one of us has learnt and grown in the process. We are entering 2024 with renewed vigor to spread library joy.
