We run two community library projects. One programme runs in 5 government schools around Jagatpura in Jaipur City and the other is in 40 government schools in Phagi in Jaipur district. In addition, there is a community library in Kho village in Jagatpura. These are relatively new programs: the Jaipur programme began in mid 2005 and the programme in Phagi began in January 2006.

We initiated these programmes here as we run schools and are involved with the communities in both these areas. It is also extremely rare to find libraries that function in government schools. Given this, we felt we should expand our activities in these areas and work with children and teachers to create libraries in government schools.

The library in the government school is not just a place to read and borrow books from. It is a centre of several creative activities for children and young adults.

These libraries are, at the moment, weekly libraries. They open once a week and are managed by a Digantar employee. One of the school teachers is usually involved in the coordination of the library. The libraries in Phagi run in the same schools that we are supporting academically under the Shiksha Samarthan and we work in coordination with the programme. The focus there is on improvement of the overall school environment.

The specific objectives of the library programme are to:

• Develop a reading habit among children
• To introduce new ideas and new ways of thinking in children.
• To enable the children to expand their horizons of imagination and creativity.
• To provide a forum where children and young adults can discuss issues related to their lives.
• To encourage the government school teachers to use the library in teaching and other creative activities.

Some of the activities that take place in the libraries are:
Reading out stories to children, listening to stories of children, writing stories, singing, creating plays and staging them, playing games, handicrafts, film shows and discussion on films, publishing a magazine and children’s newspaper etc.

These libraries are proving to be popular with the children and teachers. There are currently --- members in ---- libraries.