The Lively Librarians of Lapovo

Just before we went home for the holidays, I did the first of a series of training sessions with local librarians. Verica, my contact from ACDI-VOCA, and I traveled to the village of Lapovo to talk to the librarians about promoting literacy in the community, the importance of reading aloud, and the nuts and bolts of how to give a good reading.

The workshop was attended by the librarians and by two teachers from the local kindergarten. They all seem interested and excited about having storytimes, and they seemed to understand my English even though they would only speak to me through the translator. Over the course of the three days, they became braver and would say short sentences or ask me questions directly.

The most interesting/surprising question came from one of the kindergarten teachers. She questioned showing the pictures during a reading, saying she was taught that it would inhibit children's creativity. (If you show a picture of a witch with black hair, the children will assume all witches have black hair.) I paused before responding. I understand how someone could come to that conclusion, I said, but I don't think it's appropriate for today's media-driven world. We are bombarded by images on tv, the internet, as we walk around town; children see these images whether we want them to or not, whether they're appropriate or not. When we have a chance to select or influence what children are seeing, it's up to us to show quality and variety. And of course pictures help tell the story, making it interesting and easier to understand.

After the initial discussion, the librarians chose books to read aloud and we left so they could practice. Or rather, we tried to leave but the car wouldn't start. Verica called one of her counterparts from ACDI and he drove out (about a half hour), and of course the car started right away when he got there. Verica was embarassed, but it gave us a chance to have a coffee and chat while we were waiting. The next day the librarians practiced reading to us and we talked more about the different techniques. Finally, on the third day, we visited a kindergarten and the librarians read to the children.

The school was fantastically decorated with Christmas trees and images of Santa Claus, although these things are associated with New Year's in Serbia, not Christmas. The school director is very aggressive in getting things for the children and running innovative programs. They have a special sewing room to create costumes and sets for their plays. They also publish their own monthly magazine for children, made by the teachers, with pictures, activities, and original stories. It's done quite nicely, and the activities are just about the right level for Dan's Serbian (far too advanced for me).

They read to two different classes, and the children were excellent and seemed to enjoy the reading. Marijana, one of the librarians, was very nervous before her reading, but she did a wonderful job and the kids laughed and responded positively to the story. Afterwards the children drew pictures of their favorite moments/characters, and it was clear they really understood what had been read to them.

Marijana was totally pumped up by the experience, and is talking about hosting regular events at the library and the school. This is exactly what I was hoping for - the training is only valuable if the librarians take to the idea and decide to initiate programs on their own. Like Marijana, I'm energized and motivated by our meeting and am looking forward to visiting more towns to repeat the training.