Rural Children’s Book Bank Project - Periodic Assessment Report

Rural Children’s Book Bank Project
Periodic Assessment Report
Author: Chao Luo December 2009
Translator: Ming Gao June 2010

1. Objectives
We proposed to apply the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model to our present
rural library project. NGO and volunteers will build the library and operate with
student for a short term. Management will be transferred to the school and students
lastly.
We anticipate three goals could be achieved through this project. First, the
project will contribute to protect rural children’s right to education by narrowing the
gap between rural and urban public education resources. In the project, reading
opportunities are provided to rural children, especially those in poverty, to enrich their
knowledge, enhance their reading capability. Second, we try to establish an effective
book bank management system in order to enhance the book circulation, and thus to
improve rural literacy and change the current close-mindedness of rural citizens.
Third, we demand student’s participation and self-management in this project. The
capacity of self-management and democratic values will be developed with our
children in the project.

2. Assessment of implementation
2.1 Volunteer-short-term-managing: Comparison between the plan and
implementation

中国，安徽省，合肥市金寨路 155 号黄金广场 5 幢 A 座 1805 室，邮编：230022
5#A1805, No. 155 JinZhai RD, HuangJin Square, Hefei, Anhui Province, PRC 230022

电邮(Email)：ahyg.org@gmail.com 网址(Website)：www.huayicn.org
电话(Tel)：+86-551-3661236 传真(Fax)：+86-551-3661236

Table 1 Volunteer-short-term-managing: plan and implementation

Item Plan Implementation
1 Frequency of vol-s.t. twice a week, 4 weeks Twice a week, 2
managing weeks
2 Frequency of borrowing Twice a week Twice a week
books per class
3 Open time 14:00-16:10, Mon.and Thur. 14:30-16:30,
Mon.and Thur.
4 Record Class librarians’ record, Class librarians’
students personal library card record and students
record, and library overall personal library card
record of borrow and return record of borrow and
information return information

The reasons for the alteration in the implementation
It usually takes 2 to 3 hours for volunteer librarians to come to Liwan School
from their own schools. They leave at around 11-12 am and arrive at about 2pm. The
latest arrival time was once past 3pm, which made the volunteers leave after 5pm on
that day. The volunteer librarians worked for two weeks, in the afternoons of Mon.
and Thur. each week, one volunteer for one time. After two weeks work, some
teachers of Liwan School became familiar with the borrow-return process. The next
time the volunteers went there, the teachers had already made the recording. On the
other hand, the volunteers felt that Liwan School had some doubts about the
management of the Book Bank. The school did not think that the Book Bank
regulations made by the volunteers fit the school. The school headmaster appointed a
class tutor of grade 5, Mr. Han, to assist our project. Besides, the school has already
set up its own borrow-return rules. As for the volunteer librarians, it is very tiring to
work from 12am to 8pm, with dinner skipped. Besides, the school always appoints a
teacher to assist the volunteer, which means that the teacher will also leave an hour
late accompanying the volunteer.

2.2 Comparison between volunteer-short-term-managing and
student-self-managing


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Table 2 Comparison between volunteer-short-term-managing and student-self-managing
Items Volunteer-short-term-managing Student-self-managing
1 Frequency of borrow twice a week once a week
2 Open time 14:00-16:10,Mon.and Thur. 13:00-14:00,Mon.to Fri.
Borrow:
Grade 1 and 2: class tutors search and
Borrow: borrow books for students
Grade 1: no formal Other grades: students search books
membership; some individual in the library index, then class
students search and borrow librarians record all the books to
books themselves and volunteer borrow, then class librarians borrow
librarians make the record the books according to the record in
Grade 2: class tutors search and specified time phases.
Borrow and return borrow books for students Return:
3
rules Grade 3 and 4: volunteer Each class returns the books on
librarians search and borrow specified days. Class librarians of
books for students and record. grade 5 and 6 are assigned the task to
Grade 5 and 6: class librarians re-shelf the books. No new
search and borrow books, borrowing is permitted until the
volunteer librarians record. returned books of a class are
Return: volunteer librarians re-shelfed.
record and re-shelf the books Loan: a week, renewal is allowed if
reading is not finished within one
week.
Class librarians’ record, and
Class librarians’ record, and library
students personal library card
4 Record overall record of borrow and return
record of borrow and return
information
information
Reasons for the alteration in the implementation
At the beginning, the Book Bank was run by volunteer librarians. In order to
save time, they usually departed from their own schools at noon to Liwan School.
They helped students to borrow books in the afternoon. Each class of the school was
allowed to borrow books twice a week in the afternoons of Monday and Thursday.
Each time a group of volunteer librarians were in charge. Volunteer librarians worked
for two weeks. In the two weeks, class tutors searched and borrowed books for Grade
2 students. Volunteer librarians searched and borrowed books for the students of
Grade 3 and 4, and made the record. Class librarians searched and borrowed books for
the students of Grade 5 and 6. Volunteer librarians made the record. Since the


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students of Grade 1 had hardly learnt any words, they did not have library
membership at the very beginning. However, a volunteer librarian noticed that a
Grade 1 student always stood with eager eyes outside the library, not daring to come
in. The volunteer librarians were impressed by his/her eagerness to knowledge. Thus
Grade 1 students were permitted to search and borrow books themselves. Volunteer
librarians helped to record borrow and return information on their library cards. As for
book returns, the volunteer librarians took the responsibility of making records and
re-shelfing books. In the first two weeks, the borrow and return information was
recorded on the notebooks of class librarians and the students’ personal library cards.
Library’s general records were not made.
After the book bank was handed over to the school, the school revised the
borrow-return rules according to its own time table. (There are three classes in the
afternoon in Liwan School. The break between two classes is only ten minutes, which
is not enough for borrowing books.) According to the new rule, the Book Bank opens
from 13:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday. Each class is allowed to borrow books once a
week. Grade 1 and 2 borrow on Mondays, Grade 3 borrows on Tuesdays, and Grade 4,
5 and 6 borrow on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays respectively. Class tutors
search and borrow books for the students of Grade 1 and 2. As for the rest classes,
students search books in the library index first. Then class librarians record all the
books to borrow. Lastly, class librarians borrow the books in the above specified time
phases according to the records. Each class returns books on specified days. Class
librarians of Grade 5 and 6 are assigned the task of book-reshelfing. No new
borrowing is permitted until the returned books of a class are reshelfed.
Since the students’ personal library cards are too easy to be damaged, the
school does not make any records on the library cards for the moment. Borrow and
return records are made in the notebook of the library and the notebooks of the
classes.

3. Project effects


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The Book Bank has met the needs for knowledge of the students. The reading
situation has begun to change positively. The students have become more willingly to
read books. The book resources of the school have been fully used.
Volunteer librarians obtained social experience in the project, better
understood life and society.

4. Conclusions
Since the set up of the Book Bank, the school has attached great importance to
the project. Mr. Han, a class tutor of Grade 5 was appointed to assist our project.
Students have also been encouraged to use the library. We have borrowers every day.
Students of junior grades prefer books with colorful plates while students of senior
grades borrow books with a wide range of topics. Volunteer librarians are deeply
impressed by the earnest teachers, the passionate students and their eagerness to learn.
We suggest that students search the books they want by themselves.
Sometimes students find that the books searched from the library index are not what
they want due to the limited information listed in the index. Searching books from the
library shelves is far more accurate. Moreover, we suggest preparing some big
bookmarks. When a student takes a book out of the book shelf, a bookmark could be
inserted into the place where the book is taken from. If the book is not the one to
borrow, with the bookmark it can be rightly put back to the original place. We also
recommend the school to organize reading classes, in which students have the
opportunity to read the books only for reference in the library. Mr. Han has agreed to
think about these advices. The school is happy to carry on the Book Bank project,
which is good for students.
We will also follow up the further development of the Book Bank project.


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Rural Children’s Book Bank Project - Periodic Assessment Report

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