One Library at a Time: Creating Libraries in Panama for Community Learning

Working with One Library at a Time (OLAT) was an amazing experience! I heard about the organization through another Peace Corps volunteer named Enid, living in Volcán, Panama.  She told me when OLAT volunteers would be coming to her site to help her set up a library for the school and I asked to join to learn a little more about what they do. When I arrived I saw two OLAT volunteers working alongside community member volunteers to label books and shelves, as well as write cards for the catalog.  The volunteers quickly introduced themselves, welcomed me, and showed me what needed to be done. Later in the day student volunteers came in to help label.  They enjoyed themselves and loved exploring the new books! The majority of the students had never been to a library before so the entire experience was new and eye-opening for them. I stayed for a few days to see the library project pan out and I was completely inspired to start a project in my site. I gathered all of the materials I could and requested electronic resources from the volunteers. They were tremendously supportive and eager to help.

The first OLAT inspired project I started was at the elementary school in my site. This school was on the way to becoming registered Bilingual by the government by the end of my service and was full of talented local teachers, including 7 English teachers. When I arrived to the site the year prior, I explored the room that was referred to as “la biblioteca,” the library. However, I did not see any books. It was not until months later that I found boxes of second hand English books getting dusty under the shelves. I spoke with the principal and assistant principal about the books and they said that they did not know what to do with them. Meeting the volunteers with OLAT was the best thing to happen to this school library. After volunteering with those two young ladies, I made a plan to work with the administration and local volunteers to get the school library up and running. With a functioning library the school could even request a full-time librarian! So, over my last summer in site I reached out to local university English students and Peace Corps Volunteers in nearby communities and we labeled and shelved every single book in under a week! We even created an electronic card catalog that was easily searchable by any teacher. Teachers can now search for books by author, title, and subject electronically, in a simple Excel spreadsheet. Once classes started I trained every teacher in labeling and searching for books. The school library project was a success and teachers claim that they are still using the library today! Students often check out books during recess and the English club meetings always start with a read-aloud book in English.

As I worked with local volunteers setting up the elementary school library over summer, I was in communication with OLAT about another project: The Public Library. My Peace Corps site was located near a small city called Puerto Armuelles. The city contained all of the common necessities and conveniences while maintaining the small-town feel. While on the bus one evening I passed a building called “La Biblioteca Publica Generosa Valdez de Diaz”. I was so excited to see such a large and beautiful library in town! I couldn’t wait to visit and explore the books they had to offer. The teachers at my school were told that they were required to attend a training seminar at the library so I went with them. I discovered that the library was simply an Info Plaza containing computers for public use. There were also empty rooms used for conferences, meetings, and classes. The building was still beautiful but I was disappointed in the lack of books. The full-time librarian working in the Info Plaza told me that books were stored in a small room that was being used as office space and I could not enter. 

After speaking with members of the community, teachers at the elementary school, and the principal, I created enough commotion to be invited to interview with the mayor of Puerto Armuelles. I was nervous and not prepared with less than 24-hour notice to put my thoughts in Spanish. The interview was broadcasted on the local radio, creating attention for our library plans. The mayor promised to open the book room of the library and give us any resources that we needed to get started. With this permission, I met with the librarian and we discussed our plans. I contacted OLAT to confirm that we had space, the shelves, a willing full-time librarian, and the desire from the community. That was all it took for OLAT to get onboard! They donated books and sent two Panamanian volunteers from Panama City to help me select and purchase resources and new books from bookstores in David city with donation money. We had so much fun! We were very fortunate to find many bilingual children’s books for the new library. I reached out to all of my local community English students, as well as ex-patriots living in neighboring communities looking to get more involved and possibly even learn some Spanish. We had 4-10 local volunteers a day and hundreds of books that needed to be labeled. An English Teacher from the community, Vanessa, and I went to the radio station to make a final announcement with the date of the opening of the “new” library, along with research and information regarding the importance of reading and starting at a young age. A local, social media-based news station came out to see what we were doing and to interview us on the plans we had for the library. The library took off with books in almost every category imaginable. Volunteers felt great pride in their work, and the ex-patriots from the US and Canada began to discuss ideas for language exchanges and storytimes for kids. I knew that the library was left in good hands with an active, full-time librarian and community members interested in maintaining the library for generations to come.

I am forever grateful for the support and motivation from OLAT! They have passed on knowledge and skills to me that I was able to pass on to many others in my Peace Corps site, which in turn inspired incredible changes. The effects of their generosity and leadership have left a legacy in many communities around Panama. OLAT has encouraged a love for learning in many children that is immeasurable. I hope to have the opportunity to work with OLAT again on an upcoming trip, and I encourage anyone interested in starting a library in a community in need to reach out!

For more information, visit their website at   https://onelibraryatatime.com/

The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Panamanian Government.