Unique initiative brings laurels to Choornikkara panchayat library as international journal features it
When the Choornikkara panchayat library near Aluva launched ‘Aksharadeepam’, a novel project of lending books at the doorstep to inculcate reading habit among people, it had set a relatively modest target of reaching out to 500 households.
A year later, not only has the project surpassed that goal and is inching towards double that figure, it has been featured in the internationally acclaimed journal of the Australian Library and Information Association. A research article co-written by Choornikkara panchayat librarian K.R. Sunil Kumar, P.V. Vijesh, librarian at Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (RCSS); M.K. Joseph, Associate Professor, RCSS; and Abshana Jamal, a junior research fellow in the Department of Social Work, RCSS, brought the project to the notice of the journal some six months ago.
The project involved 50 trained Kudumbashree volunteers distributing books in specially designed book kits in households in their respective areas once in a month. Thanks to the emphatic response, the number rose from an initial five books to 10 and now 15 books, which are distributed in as many households. The project now regularly covers around 800 households and is likely to touch 1,000 households shortly.
“Among the avid readers under the project include cancer patients and elderly people who could no longer read on their own owing to vision problems but insist that members of the younger generation in their families read the books to them. While the Library Council had experimented with a similar project at a smaller scale, which had fizzled out in most places, they did it by deploying paid workers for doorstep delivery. But in our case, the Kudumbashree members are doing it voluntarily,” said Mr. Sunil Kumar.
RCSS, which conducted a detailed household survey of the project with the help of Kudumbashree volunteers, is now in the process of analysing the response based on which a more elaborate research article would be submitted for the consideration of other international journals. Deploying students of library science as volunteers and helping with a revamp of the library may also be considered in the future. RCSS had also conducted a book donation campaign for the project.
“That a small project in a village here gets featured in an acclaimed international journal with a board of international reviewers drawn from across various continents is no small feat. We could even scale up our academic-centred community collaboration beyond the library for projects like conducting an economic or health survey in the panchayat using our social work students,” said Mr. Vijesh.
Choornikkara panchayat has allocated ₹5 lakh in this year’s budget for expanding the project after having contributed ₹1.50 lakh initially towards buying books and another ₹25,000 for accessories for volunteers. Anwar Sadat, MLA, had also contributed books worth ₹5,000.
“We plan to take suggestions from Kudumbashree volunteers on Reading Day on how to spend the budgetary allocation for the project in a more meaningful way based on their year-long experience with the project,” said panchayat president Raji Santhosh.
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