Libraries are a very precious resource. Schools often spend a considerable portion of their budget on books and invest time in procuring them. But once books have been catalogued and shelved, they leave it to students to make use of the library. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. A few children borrow books regularly while others simply ignore the library or spend as little time in there as possible. And then there are those who view the library with suspicion or distaste, an unfortunate consequence of early difficulties with reading and spelling which were not dealt with sensitively in school or at home.
In many school libraries across India, books spend more time on the shelves than in children’s hands. Worse, they might even be locked up. Children are expected to enter the library and browse through its collection under strict supervision. If they forget to return books, misplace or damage them, they are harshly scolded or made to pay hefty fines. Strict rules of silence are imposed. Throw in a librarian who thinks of herself as a glorified clerk, procurement manager and enforcer of fines, and you have the perfect recipe for a dead library: an expensive resource that intimidates kids and impresses visitors but fails to instil pleasure in reading.
The next time you visit a school, check if their library is alive. Here are some signs:
- The entire collection of the library is at eye level with the children. Books for the youngest children are on the bottom shelves, followed by books for slightly older kids above and so on. In other words, every age group can reach for books relevant to themselves.
- The room is well lit and well ventilated. Ideally it should have a lot of natural light and if that’s not possible, enough artificial lighting for kids to read without straining their eyes.
- The walls and bulletin boards are adorned with interesting displays created by the librarian, by teachers, or students. These could include book reviews, interesting quotes or excerpts from books in the collection, author profiles or suggested reading.
- Children are encouraged to take down books, browse through them, discuss them with friends or ask the librarian for recommendations. Conversation is acceptable as long as it doesn’t disturb others.
- The ‘sit up straight and don’t take your eyes off your book’ doesn’t apply. The library is designed as a space of pleasure. Children can be seen reading in different positions: sprawled on their stomachs, curled up in a corner or leaning against a wall. All it takes are a few reed mats, cushions and child size furniture.
- The librarian is sitting amongst the children and not behind a desk. She’s engaged in reading aloud, discussing what the kids are reading or searching for a book that interests them. In other words, she knows her collection and her readers.
- The library is a space of fun activities related to reading: poetry recitations, quiz contests, debates, workshops, story-telling sessions, theatre activities, book talks by local authors. The library fosters curiosity and a sense of wonder.
- Children are involved in running the library, helping the librarian check out books and check them in, collecting them at the end of a lesson or arranging them for display. They participate in creating rules and procedures by which the library is run and decide consequences for failing to return books on time or damaging them. In short, they learn to use books responsibly but without anxiety.
- The library isn’t used only in the library period. Science and social studies teachers bring children in to do reference work. Language teachers encourage children to read beyond the textbook.
- The books show signs of use. They’re well thumbed, their spines are worn. They might even need re-binding and that’s okay.
- Students acquire digital literacy in the library. Digital literacy goes beyond being able to browse the Internet. It’s about understanding the basics of Internet research, how to evaluate which websites are relevant and credible, what information is worth downloading and how to avoid plagiarism. And finally, the most important sign of a living, breathing library…
- Children seem reluctant to leave. Groans, sighs, requests of ‘just one more page’ or ‘five minutes more’ are heard when the bell rings. Young readers drag their feet as they leave, grumbling that they need to wait to find out how the book ends.
Do share your ideas for keeping libraries alive in the comments section below.