School library

"Because reading is essential in the development of a child and access to information empowers people, it is of the utmost importance that the Window to the World Project will work on establishing a user friendly library for children with implementation of extensive reading projects".

First library for children in Northern Bali
Back in 1998 during the starting up of the Window to the World project, these lineouts were put into the project planning of the Window to the World School. But at the time of the initiating of the project in 1998, books were hard to find, and computers could only be accessed in the very few ‘internet cafes’ in the big cities. Still, the project went ahead and the Window to the World Community School library became the first library for children in North Bali, although there were only a couple of books on the shelves during these first years. The first boxes with books were bought with the help of the Herman van Veen Foundation in 2000.

Extension of the library through the ’One hundred reading corners for Indonesia’ program
In 2006 the library became part of an Indonesian Rotary program called; ‘Seratus Pondok Baca Indonesia’, or, ’One hundred reading corners for Indonesia’. This project was funded by Dutch Rotary Club Hilversum West and Stichting Kansarme Kinderen under guidance of Rotary Club of Bali Lovina. Window to the World was lucky enough to get one of these libraries and by then hundreds of children could enrich their knowledge and visions by reading the books they could borrow from the library and following the reading programs which were especially developed for this matter. In our school’s locality most children will follow a basic education and will learn how to read and to write but being literate does not just mean the ability to read a book or a newspaper.

Being literate means being able to comprehend the instructions on a medicine bottle, a set of directions, or a job posting. Literacy means being part of the larger society. It means inclusion, and it means empowerment.

Second Pondok Baca library
In 2012 the Window to the World community school library was given an ‘Excellence award’ by Rotary Indonesian’s education and literacy committee for the efforts to increase the reading interest of children by creating many ways besides managing their Pondok Baca effectively! As a token of appreciation the Rotary Club of Bali Lovina was enabled to set up a second Pondok Baca library in our locality by the Seratus Pondok Baca Indonesia Foundation. We are proud that since 2013 we can call the Pondok Baca library of State Elementary school number six, of the village of Munduk, our sister Pondok Baca library! The building up of our library is still in progress. Yet we already have some thousands of books, a variety of periodicals, reference materials, encyclopedias, magazines and audiovisual and educational aids. We will continue to encourage children to read because we believe information empowers people.

Through our reading projects and the learning of library skills, children will be able to develop in reflective thinkers and inquirers.