It's gratifying to know that folks actually read Connections entries. Just yesterday, Margaret Ely of the Public Broadcasting Service sent me a personal e-mail. She wrote: I wanted to thank you for sharing the trailer for the POV film, “Biblioburro: The Donkey Library.” The entire documentary is now available for embedding, for a limited time. Please feel free to share this video with your readers, too.
Everyone can use a little inspirational non-fiction.
(There is a 30 second commercial lead in before the documentary starts. You may have to click on "Watch the Full episode." The link is being a little cranky.)
I watched the documentary as it was broadcast Tuesday evening. I was moved by Soriano's dedication in bringing books and basic literacy to parts of Colombia without public services. Although terrible things have happened to him and to the children over the years, each Saturday he sets off with Beto and Alpha to bring hope that their lives will get better through basic education, reading, and good citizenship.
Libraries and literacy efforts are joined at the hip.
Promoting literacy has always been a key theme in librarianship. It's also a key component in our own Library's Strategic Plan. Goal 3 is " Advance all forms of literacy for all ages." As the special collections librarian/archivist/department manager, I help teach researchers how to combine print, audio, and online sources to meet their goals. As a mother, I read countless books to my growing children (in some cases until they reached age 13). As a lifelong learner myself, I support all efforts for fostering the love of reading, technological competence, and evaluation of information sources.
I have two take-aways from the documentary: 1) Libraries do change lives; 2) Sometimes, the only way to get something done is to deal with the Equus asinae.