Volume 3 No. 2

LISA KROLAK

Some of you might have already read about my experiences as a VSO Librarian in Belize in earlier issues of Impact. Having had a quick look at those articles, I had to smile about how much my job has changed since then. Let me remind you that I came out to Belize in February 1998. My job description stated that I would be the Librarian at the Belize Teachers’ Training College (BTTC) - the only institution for preparing primary school teachers in Belize. I was supposed to manage the library, supervise the Library Assistant, finalise the catalogue database, organise libraries in six District Education Centres and help principals in establishing school libraries.

In the beginning, it was quite difficult for me to work in an environment with nearly no financial assistance. However, I have found ways of dealing with the situation, such as applying for outside funding from the British High Commission, VSO and other funding agencies in Belize. This has provided some new furniture, books and a multimedia computer and printer. The Library at the Belize Teachers' Training College (BTTC) is now such a different place compared to when I arrived. It's wonderful to see how much the students enjoy using the new equipment. For example, they now do some of their research using information sources on the World Wide Web.

Above: Lisa Krolak (far right) with the entire staff of a primary school in Belize City, setting up the library

Photo: © Lisa Krolak

In September 1998, I heard that the Information Officer at the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR), one of the most influential non-government ogranisations (NGOs) in Belize, left for a scholarship on short notice. I applied for the job and shortly afterwards I started to work there on a half-time basis. I will start working full-time for SPEAR once my two year contract with the BTTC is finished. If you want to learn more about SPEAR and the important work they are doing in Belize, check out the new website[1], which I've finished recently.

There are just four professional Belizean Librarians and three VSO Librarians to share all the library and information projects in Belize. You can imagine that my work here is very diverse as I have two very different jobs and various projects to deal with. I'd like to focus, here, on one of my most successful and satisfying projects, which is working in the primary schools where I assist the principals and staff in setting up their own school libraries.

From the outset, I have given workshops to principals and have gone to the schools to assist in organising their books into collections, in collaboration with the existing staff. Very quickly it became obvious that most schools didn't have many relevant and attractive books for their pupils. Having identified that need I asked for money from the Michael A. Ashcroft(MAA) Foundation, as they are known to support education and sports in Belize.

After some months of waiting I received a phone call and was asked to meet their Chief Executive Officer. I convinced him of the urgent need for financial support for the project and the MAA Foundation agreed to fund books, material and furniture worth £10,000 to set-up ten primary school libraries all over the country of Belize. From that moment on I was really busy! I had to select appropriate schools, purchase the books and travel several times from school to school to help them set up their collections. It was hard work to manage the whole project, and many days I came home late, feeling tired, with my clothes all dusty and dirty. Having said that, it was a really stimulating task. I had to deal with many different people from all ethnic groups, as I worked all over the country. It was also encouraging to know that the schools appreciated my help in providing their students with a library.

You have to imagine that most students in Belize have no access to relevant books and information that can assist them with their homework, or to let them enjoy the power of reading. This is quite difficult to grasp for somebody who lives in an Information Society. Belize is, in general, not a reading society. Their famous story-telling tradition was replaced by American Cable TV and not by books. The lack of enthusiasm for reading is reflected in a poor overall educational standard and a high illiteracy rate.

Above: Eager hands open the new books to be added to the school library by Lisa Krolak

Photo: © Lisa Krolak

All the schools I worked with, within and outside of the project, had no library before. Most of the schools didn't even have a book collection. I literally had to get their books out of corners, classrooms and cupboards and had to search through piles of dirty, old information to locate useful material. Sometimes it was quite surprising how much good material we could find in hidden boxes and secret locations. But no school library I came across had a balanced collection. You would mainly find old donations from the United States, Canada and the UK, or multiple copies of textbooks. I have used the project money to build up a good reference collection; to buy every suitable book on Belize or written by a Belizean; and get a relevant and attractive collection of fiction and non-fiction material.

It took me several months to finish the ten primary school libraries. Finally, at the beginning of November 1999, the Chief Executive Director of the MAA Foundation visited Belize and we officially opened three of the ten school libraries. It was a brilliant experience to travel from school to school and watch the different ceremonies that were held by staff and students to celebrate their new school libraries with local music, poetry, 
dancing and speeches.

The whole project was so successful that the MAA Foundation offered to expand the project and set up another 10 school libraries. As my time at BTTC is nearly over we had to find a compromise. Until February 2000 I will work on another 5 libraries with an overall increased budget and provide more suitable books to the established 10 school libraries.

My biggest worry is the sustainability of the project. When I leave BTTC in Spring 2000 there will be no professional librarian taking care of all these school libraries. We have addressed this problem by establishing a Task Force consisting of the Chief Librarian at the National Library Service, another VSO librarian who supervises secondary school libraries and me. I can only hope that the Government of Belize understands the need to employ a full-time school librarian for this important, co-ordinating work as soon as possible.

References
[1] Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR): http://www.spear.org.bz

Lisa Krolak has been sponsored as a VSO Librarian in Belize by the Career Development Group and first introduced herself in an article which appeared in March 1998 issue of Impact.