A second goal of our work at Asturias is to add new books to the school library collection. Our team works year-round to secure donations of books for our library programs around the world. Many publishers donated new children’s books in Spanish over the past year. Supporters purchased books from our Amazon wish list, and the Friends of the Library group in Tucson, Arizona donated children’s books as well. These books were shipped to Quetzaltenango and were ready for our group when we arrived.
Our cataloging team – Hector, Mandi, Cara, and Debbie – sorted through the many donated books, processed them by adding the appropriate labels, and cataloged them into the spreadsheet used by the school. Two hundred eighty-one books were added to the school’s collection! The school has many books in their collection already, but like any library, some books get lost or damaged over time. Students and teachers love to see new books arrive! After our team leaves, the librarian, Señora Dorita, will lay out all of the books on long tables in the library and will schedule classes to visit the library so that they can preview the new books.
In addition to adding new books, Hector went above and beyond by translating nearly 20 books into Spanish! These books were perfect for story time but were written in English, which the librarian does not speak. Hector, who has worked professionally as a translator, selflessly spent free time during the week translating the books into Spanish so that they can be read to younger students.
Our organization will visit the school every two years to continue to add new books to the library’s collection.
Libraries for the World 