Working on sustainability...

I finally arranged for representatives from the National Public Library in San Salvador to meet with the mayor of Yucuaiquín last Thursday, April 10, 2013.

Lilian Montenegro from the National Public Library met with Carlos Gutierrez, mayor of Yucuaiquín, and came to a tentative agreement to work together to open a public library in Yucuaiquín.

Mr. Gutierrez was left with a contract to take to council and forward to the national library in San Salvador in order to formalize the agreement.

Terms include:
Mr. Gutierrez allocates a space within the city to house the library and provides a staff person to supervise. The city also commits to seek out ways to grow the initial collection which is provided by the National Library.

The national library commits to provide training and support to the new staff/program and incorporate the city into the network of public libraries.

Mr. Carlos Gutierrez and I.

Coordinator of public libraries and I.

Ms. Montenegro, Mr. Gutierrez and I.

Lilian Montenegro and I in front of the municipal hall.

The work continues and our involvement with the schools is solicited more and more!

Our visits to the schools are now bi-weekly and the children and youth are excited to receive us each time we come. We will visit the schools on the first and third week of each month going forward.

Modesto and I spend the time we are not out planning and preparing the activities for the weeks that we do go out on visits. We prepare reminder cards for children who did not return their books on the due date and attend the meetings we are invited to.

I have given presentations to parents at two schools; both of which are not ones we visit but still in the municipality. The topics have been learning difficulties and the role of the parent in a child's education. Of course I invite these communities to visit us at the library in Las Marias and access some of the self-help and other resource material we have available. So far we have had three parents come and become members of the library and check out books.

I have been asked to come and give a one hour English conversational class once a week at one of the schools and I'm in the process of coordinating the times and schedules for this which will begin this month.

I am still working on bringing the national library's representative to meet with Yucuaquin's mayor but the mayor has given his verbal support to establishing a library at a new building they are constructing which will house a medical clinic. That would certainly give more sustainability to the project once I exit the scene.