Library Grand Opening

Just a few months ago (probably more like 4 months ago), I was shown our school’s library. At first, superficial glance, it was pretty impressive for rural South Africa. There were nine bookcases with a variety of books that appeared to be sorted into four levels, as well as a reference section. Several large, colorful posters covered the walls, a large rug sat in the middle of the floor, and there was a full size table with four chairs. I was shown the library timetable and told that each grade was taken to the library once a week for an hour. Since it appeared to be functioning, it didn’t seem to need my attention, and I continued to search for other avenues where I could be of most use to the school during both my “integration” phase and later when I began teaching.

But after several weeks of observation, I noted that not one class actually went into the library – during their assigned time or otherwise. So, I asked the principal if I could have another look around and perhaps I could try to take a class and just read them a story and ask them a few comprehension questions in English. She said that I was more than welcome, so I ventured back into the library to find a book or two that I could read aloud to the students in grade 5. And then I realized just how “organized” the library really was. In many cases, there were multiple copies of a book – one labeled as Level 2, one labeled as Level 3, and one labeled as Level 4. I found the cover of a magazine labeled as a Level 4 book. There was a pocket folder labeled and shelved with books of Level 2. There was an area for “oversized” books that turned out to simply be labeled as “oversized” regardless of the difficulty of the book. Dozens of books were missing pages or had been dropped in the mud so you could no longer read most of the text. After taking a more significant look around, it became clear that a few teachers had a put a lot of effort into labeling things, but really had no idea what they were doing. Since I hadn’t yet found a project to work on, I decided that maybe the library could use a little assistance. I asked the principal if I could type the names and book numbers into the computer so we could print out a list of all the books in the library, and she practically screamed “yes.” Of course, my plans were to extend far beyond that.

During my time at school in October and November and then again January when we returned after summer break, I spent a great many hours working in the library:  sorting, color-coding, typing, re-labeling (and sometimes more than once, as I wasn’t quite sure of the best method until I tried one or two) and re-organizing. The bookcases were moved around so that there were six rather than four distinct levels, each designated by a different color, and the three other bookcases were designated for a Non-Fiction section, a Student Reference section, and a Teachers Resources section. I found a number of broken student and teacher desks that just needed a few screws, and there were more than enough extra chairs available in the school hall. The local NGO (The David Rattray Foundation), the original securer of the bookshelves and books, donated two new beanbag chairs, and a Check-Out Log was created so that students could start to sign out books and be responsible for bringing them back. And of course, I printed a list of all the books J. Just about all that was missing were the learners!

After looking over the school timetable and discussing with the teachers what times would be best, I typed up a new library timetable. And this week, grades 5, 6, and 7 came to the library for an introduction, a scavenger hunt, and to have a first chance to checkout books! It was more or less total chaos, but at the same time a total success. I now know that absolutely nothing is intuitive or obvious, but the learners are really excited to be there. Still lots of work to do, but opening was step one. That’s always the hardest, right?

Grand Re-Opening of the school library.

Scavenger Hunt with Grade 6.