Go Forth and Read!
Sunday, May 13, 2018
By Franny Briggs, Education Specialist
My favorite thing about reading is the ability of an author’s words to transport you into the life of another. You see what they see, feel what they feel, and always learn a little bit more about what it means to be human. You never leave the pages the same person as when you started. It’s no wonder I became an English teacher and got to yammer on about the wonders of books for a living.
Coming from a school in the US I took it for granted that my students had the world at their fingertips and didn’t give the presence of their incredible library a second thought. It was always there, always open, always accessible. Every student in every country deserves this opportunity, and here at Kopila Valley we’re edging closer to having a library worthy of what our students deserve: a place full of rich, beautiful texts and resources for them to devour. It is so important to me that these students come to the library and learn about life outside their valley - to laugh, cry, get immersed in a mystery, traverse oceans they may never see in their lifetime - all through some pages preserved in this room.
We’ve not only accepted hundreds of donated books of all genres this year, steadily improving our collection, but the Kopila kids are also now checking out books electronically for the first time! It's so exciting. Months of cataloging, printing, laminating, and stickering later, all our students have their own library cards and all 4,000 books have their own unique barcode. Previously Kopila kids checked out books by writing their name and the title of the book they wanted to read in a notebook, which is still the system at even some of the best schools in Kathmandu. I can’t believe how lucky we are, and I’m especially proud of Sudeshna Miss (who’s using an iPad for the first time!) for embracing this new system and putting in so many extra hours of work to make this dream a reality.
We will now have permanent records of who has which book, be able to track which books are most popular, which students are reading the most, and more! We're thrilled to be able to give the kids and teachers daily access to technology and also help our school function more smoothly.
Here’s to books and these sweet kids opening their minds and worlds through a great story. Go forth and read, y’all, we can track you now!!!
Interested in donating books to grow our school library? Visit www.betterworldbooks.com and sign in with the username info@blinknow.org and password welovebooks to view our wishlist and send books to fill our shelves!