Canadian
Students Build
Library in Costa
Rica
This past
spring, a group
of students in
the Masters of
Library and
Information
Science (MLIS)
Program at the
University of
Western Ontario,
Canada, got a
taste of
humanitarian
librarianship at
its finest.
Western’s
Librarians
Without Borders
(LWB) organized
a trip to Costa
Rica earlier
this year with
the purpose of
building a
school library
for the village
community of El
Humo.
The project was
spearheaded by
MLIS student
Jessica Luet,
who had
previously
worked in El
Humo and
partnered with
VIDA, a
non-profit
organization
with goals to
support
development in
Costa Rica.
The project was
a new experience
for both the LWB
committee
members and
VIDA, who made
the necessary
arrangement s
for the project
on the Costa
Rica side,
including
meeting with the
town’s citizens
to determine the
need for a
library,
arranging host
families for the
project
volunteers,
ordering the
building
supplies for the
library and
building
sightseeing
tours for the
project
volunteers.
For nine months
prior to the
trip, the LWB
Student
Committee
fundraised and
was also
supported
generously by
the dean’s
office at the
Faculty of
Information &
Media Studies
with a $1,000
donation.
The committee
used collection
tools to select
the books for
the library and
create a
catalogue.
Books were
ordered from
Costa Rica
publishers first
to support the
local economy.
Other books for
the collection
were either
donated by
Canadian
publishers or
purchased prior
to the trip.
Project
volunteers
brought
stationary
supplies with
them, as well.
Upon arrival,
the project
team, who
consisted of
students Luet,
Courtney
Lundrigan, Megan
Thomas, Kristina
Porr, Erin
Walker, Debby
Ng, Kris Meen,
Jessica Kipp,
Aubrey
Kirkpatrick and
FIMS staff
member Steve
Patterson, were
set up with
their host
families for the
duration of the
trip.
The team built
the library from
the ground
up-leveling the
plot of land,
digging holes,
mixing and
pouring cement,
building the
walls, floor and
ceiling and
painting the
newly-built
space. When
complete, the
actual library
space measured
about ten by six
feet and housed
150 items.
“The best part
was seeing the
structure
complete with
books and
supplies inside.
It was a great
feeling to see a
field
transformed into
the village’s
first library,”
says LWB project
volunteer
Courtney
Lundrigan.
“We hope the
trip will
initiate future
international
aid efforts and
that Librarians
without Borders
specifically
will continue to
grow from that
experience. We
were very happy
to represent
FIMS through
this project.”
In recognition
of their
efforts, the LWB
project team
received a Costa
Rican flag and a
plate signed by
the host
families. Each
group member was
also presented
with a medal
with their name
engraved at a
communal dinner
organized by the
host families.
Due to lack of
resources, the
principal and
teachers of the
school currently
look after the
new library. A
volunteer
library student
is also
available to
assist for a few
months and the
school is
applying for a
grant from the
government to
install a few
computers for
student use.
Internet was
just recently
set up in the
village.
About Librarians
Without Borders:
Librarians
Without Borders
(LWB) is a
not-for-profit
organization
dedicated to
advocating for
equal access to
information for
all people
around the
world. The
Western Student
Committee of LWB
accomplishes
this by
facilitating
access to
information both
locally and
internationally
through
partnerships and
raising
awareness about
information
access issues.
Librarians
Without Borders
was founded in
2005 by a group
of socially
minded
librarians at
The University
of Western
Ontario. The
organization is
now based in
Toronto, and it
includes members
from libraries
and library
schools across
Canada.
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