Books and Wings is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit, whose mission is to support community libraries and education in Guatemala. Books and Wings works in several under-served communities in the Departments of Esquintla and Suchitepéquez; including Tiquisate, Rio Bravo, and Chicacao.
Community Libraries: They work with municipal authorities and library committees to strengthen their public libraries and schools. Through their programs, they help bring about meaningful change and a better future for young Guatemalans.
- Tiquisate: The Biblioteca Popular de Tiquisate (Popular or Public of Tiquisate) was founded on April 6, 2001. Initially housed in the Principal’s office of the Tecun Uman elementary school, this library was more of a book museum for the first several months, with less than 50 users between April and October, 2001. There was no librarian, and people were terrified that if the collection was freely accessible, books would be stolen. So, they were locked up in display cases. All this changed when Clariza Contreras was hired to be the librarian. Clariza began work in January, 2002, and by April there were more than 1,000 users a month! This posed its own set of problems – the school office was simply too small to accommodate so many people! So, the corridor outside was set up as a study area, with chairs and several large tables. As library usage continued to grow, the community made plans to build a new building with more adequate facilities to serve as library. Fundraising began in July, 2002, and construction started in August. The alcalde (mayor) agreed to pay for the labor, and the library committee took on the task of raising money to buy the materials. A beautiful new library was opened on February 21, 2003. In 2007, there were 25,000 visitors to the library!
- Rio Bravo: Rio Bravo is about 15 km. from Tiquisate. The old library was about the size of a walk-in closet with space for about 10 users at a time. A civic library committee had raised money to build a larger structure, but the effort was abandoned before completion, and the shell sat for a long, long time. In July, 2004, Books and Wings agreed to buy books if the municipality could finish building the new library by February, 2005. A reconstituted library committee worked hand in hand with the alcalde, Juan Francisco Lopez Diaz. The inauguration was held Thanksgiving Day, 2004 – 3 months ahead of the deadline! So, off they went to buy books in the capital.
- San Antonio: When they first visited the library in San Antonio, Suchitepéquez in Feb., 2004, they noticed lots of users, an enthusiastic librarian, and many inadequacies. Books were stacked on the floor and packed in boxes for lack of shelf space. There weren’t enough tables and chairs, and there were no windows or fans. The municipal authorities agreed to remedy these and other problems by the end of 2004, and Books and Wings agreed to buy books to enlarge the collection.
Scholarship Program: Most Guatemalan families struggle to afford the cost of registration fees, school uniforms, books and school supplies. Because of this, only small percentages of children are able to study in Basico (Jr HS), and even fewer make it to Diversificado (High School). Their scholarship program addresses this problem, as well as encouraging strong study habits and community service. Scholarship students are recommended by their 6th grade teachers and principals, and must meet the following criteria:
- Good grades
- Financial need
- May not be related to teachers or administrators
In addition to maintaining their grades, scholarship students must work in the library as aides a half day a week (twice a week for students entering 1st year Basico), and must write their sponsors periodically. They try to maintain gender balance in the scholarship program. In return, the students receive a beginning of the school year stipend to pay for their school fees, a monthly stipend, a reference book or textbook each year, access to an after-school English class with a university-trained teacher (Tiquisate), occasional field trips, and supplementary help as needed. This may take the form of food-baskets, tutoring, medical services, etc. Students living out of town receive extra money to pay for their transportation.
Special Projects: Books and Wings serves rural schools in the Esquintla area through loans of mini-libraries, librarian visits and teacher training.
- Story hours in classrooms: Librarians bring large bins of books to a rural school for one day. After one or more story hours, the books are displayed in an empty classroom or other open space and classes take turns visiting the temporary “library” to read books. The idea is to have a mobile library to provide service to outlying areas.
- Book Loans: Most Guatemalan libraries do not loan books for fear of losing their collection. Two of the libraries they work with are exceptions to that rule. Tiquisate and Chicacao are each loaning hundreds of books a month. Loans are pending in Rio Bravo.
- Mini-Libraries – Rural Schools: One or more large bins of books are loaned to a rural school for the school year. The students pay a small fee (typically one Quetzal per student – $.15 US) for this privilege. At the end of the school year, the books come back to the library. As long as the books are in good shape (used, but not abused), half the “loan fee” is returned to the school to buy a book of its own. The other half goes to the library petty cash fund.
- Mini-Libraries – Public Buildings: A set of 30 or so high quality hard back books is loaned to a government or private entity, and is placed in the lobby for public access. Children’s books make up most of the collections, but they also include some adult material. The purpose is to encourage parents to read (or look at) books with their children, and for adults to have access to printed material. It is also a way to encourage people to visit the library – where there are more books! (Municipal buildings – Tiquisate, Rio Bravo and pending in Chicacao; Christian Children’s Fund – Chicacao; Cope Jr. Children’s Credit Union – Tiquisate).
- Trainings for librarians, teachers, and school administrators: Working in tandem with the Reicken Foundation, Child Aid, PROBIGUA (Guatemalan Libraries Project), Consejo de Lectura de Guatemala, and the National Library, Books and Wings has offered trainings to hundreds of teachers, librarians and administrators on themes such as teaching reading and writing, and critical thinking skills. Books and Wings also sponsors the attendance of a dozen or so educators at the semi-annual International Reading Conference in Guatemala City.
- Meetings for librarians throughout the region: Librarians from communities throughout the Costa Sur have taken turns hosting meetings to exchange ideas and visit other libraries to see what their colleagues are doing. This allows them to share information and concerns, to problem solve and support each other (Previously monthly, now occasional).
To read more about this group, please visit their website.
Comments are closed.