After a couple of weeks of hiatus, the Book Bus project hit
the ground running this week, putting the first part of our plan in motion. The
El Progreso library is going to serve as our first community “Reading Corner”
site, and this week we were able to start work on the library. But first, we
had to get organized and find a little help from other community members. Part
of starting up a new project includes spreading word about the project, and
creating the necessary promotional materials to share ideas and gain support. This week we were able to receive some support through GAIAS, the Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences, who assisted us in gathering cleaning supplies.
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| Hacienda volunteers working hard |
Once funds were obtained and cleaning supplies were
purchased, it was only a matter of finding enough volunteers to tackle the
library in the one day that we had set aside for cleaning. Again, we were lucky
to find support in the GAIAS community, as a number of students and English
teachers volunteered their Wednesday to the project. Combined with the
fantastic volunteers at Hacienda Tranquila, who agreed to help us out for the
day, we were a force of over 20 volunteers who, partnered with the library
staff, spent the day working to clean up the library. It was a good thing we
had so many people, because we still barely accomplished what we were hoping
to, even with all that hard work.
At the start of the day, we split into two groups, those
working inside, and those working outside. The outside group had the task of
weeding the entrance to the library and making the path to the library from the
street more noticeable and user friendly. Weeding was no easy task, as there were
pesky nettles hiding among the weeds and biting bugs lying in wait, but the
front of the library looks like new, and certainly much more inviting. As the
day progressed, and weeding moved to the sides of the building, volunteers also
started cleaning the outside of the building, trying to prepare it for a fresh,
new coat of paint. Using brooms and brushes, our volunteers covered the perimeter
of the library, brushing and scrubbing, removing old paint and mold from the
walls.
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| Look at all those weeds! |
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| Sorting books |
The work inside of the library concentrated on reorganization.
The books in the library were in no particular order, and in order to inventory
the books and make the library more user friendly, reorganization was
imperative. With ten people inside the library, we took all the books off the
shelves and started to categorize them into different subjects and materials.
We were impressed and surprised at the treasures we found in the library.
Volumes of classic literature, books on organic chemistry, a whole wall of
encyclopedias, books outlining Ecuadorian policies and laws, books on art
museums in Madrid, how to do jujitsu, and just about everything you could find
in between. We also put together all the children’s books, and discovered that
there were enough to constitute a whole side room dedicated solely to young
readers. It was like going on a treasure hunt. Once all the books were off the
shelves, we gave the shelves a thorough scrubbing, the books a nice dusting, and
then placed all the books back in their new categories. The categories were
later labeled, so that when patrons come to the library, they’ll be able to search
for any topics that may interest them. The new organization system will also
make including new books much easier. The books took all day, and then a little
extra, but it was a huge first step towards making the El Progreso library more
user friendly for the local population.
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| Reshelving |
All this hard work from the volunteers did not go without
thanks, as we had a fantastic lunch of wood-fired pizzas at Hacienda Tranquila,
when we were all at our breaking point from dust and nettles. Thank you so much
to all of our volunteers, both from GAIAS and from Hacienda Tranquila
(including those who stayed at the Hacienda to help prepare and cleanup after
our amazing lunch!), and a huge thank you to GAIAS for funding our efforts. None
of this work would have been accomplished without everyone’s collaboration. The
work continues this upcoming week, as (drumroll….) it’s painting time! Tune in
next weekend to see the next step in our revitalization project, some shiny new
walls for the El Progreso library!
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| The finished fiction section |
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| The new path |
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| The finished children's room |
