After establishing each South African library, I return to teach literacy and encourage the practice of checking out books. One of the biggest challenges is creating a ritual of library usage. At many South African schools, teachers and administrators see books as precious objects. They resist the notion that the books should be handled by young children and are even more resistant to the idea of kids borrowing books to take home. I’ve learned that I not only need to build libraries, but also train the school librarians and reading champions to encourage the ritual of library usage at impoverished South African schools.
Nelson Mandela