The Mobile Library – “Knowledge Wheel” which has been implemented by Ha Noi Library is the Singapore-funded project (SIF). Under this project, it is the vehicle being equipped with computers, LCD and books for kids’s readership. Each time the vehicle rolls its wheels, it opens up a new source of knowledge, helps inspiring loves for book-reading among children especially those who are living in the mountainous areas and countrysides under hard living conditions.
Mobile library serving pupils at primary school of Phuong Duc (Phu Xuyen)
Having launched since 2010, the Mobile Library has aimed to serve its beloved pupils. Apart from reading books, pupils are able to search information on the internet through the computers, watching children’s funny and educational films, playing smart games and being guided to draw pictures. Since the start of SIF project, Ha Noi Library has made a regular visit on a weekly basis to the districts of Ba Vi, My Duc, Thach That, Quoc Oai, soc son, chuong My. On each tour, it is often accompanied by a sponsor and has been able to serve over 1000 pupils. Whenever a new school year begins, it is also a time when book-keepers of Ha Noi Library get along with the “ Knowledge Wheel” to head straight to primary schools, whereby pupils are longing for that day by day.
The first phase, the library has been operated as of early September to December; the second phase from March to the end of the school year; and often opening on Sartuday and Sunday. Till 2015, with the SIF’s funding cease, Ha Noi Library has used its budget to maintain the project. Due to lack of additional budgets to buy new books, it has had to borrow the left copies from the Children Section’s store to provide for the Mobile Library. As of the year’ beginning, Ha Noi Library has organized 12 Mobile Library trips with each carrying about 1.200 – 1.500 books comprised of books for children, sciences, pictorials, informatics, foreign languages which are categorized by theme and colour. For instance, the literature book is marked green, the red for legal book, the yelow for pictorials book… which have been placed on shelves according to their colours so as to make it possible for children to find, the book keepers to archive easily and understand the cpupils’ reading needs. Up to now, the Mobile Library has manged to provide services for 7.200 readerships and 1.800 book rotations.
With its scheduled services at localities, the Mobile Library – “Knowledge Wheel” of Ha Noi Library has been becoming a close companion of teenagers in the whole areas of Ha Noi, inspiring the young generation through building and developing the reading culture. Coupled with that, the book keepers’s kindness and openess has helped teen readers feel friendly and mingled. Due to a time constraint which has not yet met all the reading requiments of the children, but the librarians of Ha Noi has brought them with great joys and helpfulness through books. “Even it is sun shining or raining, once hearing from teachers of the Mobile Library’s arrival, they become eagerly expectational. “Noticing brilliant faces and joyful eyeglints when the children rush into the room to pick up favourite books for themselves and attentively read, we – the librarians seem to be vigorously encouraged to better fulfil our responsibilities” Ms Nguyen Thuy Oanh, Head of Professional and Grassroots Movement Section of Ha Noi Library excitedly explained. However, it is really by no mean easy for the Mobile Library that as many are just school starters without yet knowing to read and write so that they do not know how to find books properly, thus displacing books’order. In that circumstance, the librarian has to meticulously explain, guide and help them select needed books. Furthermore, due to some reasons, a number of schools have yet to coordinate accordingly, while some others strongly wish to invite the Mobile Library to come, but when inspecting the site, the Mobile Library vehicle is not able to get inside, so it has to be cancelled for an another occassion. I is also depending on any cases, some schools are equipped with a clean reading room, but some are not, so the Mobile Library has to serve their pupils outside…
Overcoming the difficulties, in the time ahead the Mobile Library – “ Knowledge Wheel” will continue its journey in a great effort to care and educate schoolers on learning endeavours, knowing how to respect and keep valuable properties though books and at the same time to raise the reading culture at the grassroots level in a sense that a reader seeks a book, but not a book seeks a reader.
Huong Giang