Library Update

Yesterday, the library group was able to meet with the headmistress as she had been too busy the day before with other engagements. We discussed, briefly, the plan for the library, and she gave us a schedule of classes that she would like us to teach. The classes would be mainly about the different kinds of books and the different parts of books (title, author, ISBN, copyright, glossary, index, table of contents, etc.).

We spent the rest of the day cataloguing the books in a Windows Excel file that we plan on transfering to the schools' computers. We're also thinking that it will be a convenient way for the school to keep trackof the books that have been checked out. However, we will need to discuss our ideas with the headmistress before any policy is set into action.

We entered about half of the books into the computer by the end of the school day and left pretty happy with what we'd been able to accomplish.

This morning we woke up bright and early to walk the twenty minutes to the school and get there in time for our 7:45 AM class. We were greeted by a scared baby goat outside the ITC lab and many children who were playing in the school yard before their classes began for the day.

We began our class session with a lesson about the difference between nonfiction and fiction. Then we passed out books to the children, ranging in ages from 11 to 15. There were about 35 to 40 students in the class, and they all seemed eager to get their hands on books.

We taught them the basic components of the books, and by the end of the class, they had all learned what the title, author, ISBN, and copyright were. In addition, they had learned how to use the table of contents, glossary, and index. Each student read an interesting piece of their book to the rest of the class. Some students were very excited and read multiple selections aloud.

When we had finished with our class, we snuck into the classroom next door to watch Roger's science experiment. We helped judge whose motor ran the fastest. The kids' energy was amazing!

After lunch at Eusbett hotel, near the school, we finished cataloguing the books. Then we began the long process of stamping the books. While we were busy stamping, a couple of students brought in three bookshelves to put their new library on. By the end of the day, we had finished stamping the nonfiction books, and we organized them by subject on one of the shelves.

As a side note, two nights ago we had a large thunderstorm, and lightning struck the modem to the computer lab. Hence, we have had limited internet availability. The simple task of loading Google takes about 10 minutes.