Protocol for Mobile Library Systems

An in-depth study of the Proyecto Móvil, the mobile branch of the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Publica y Móvil, in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, 06/01/ 2005.

By:
Eric Henderson
Administrador del Proyecto Móvil
San Juan del Sur
Biblioteca Publica y Móvil		 and Tai Telesco
Administradora
San Juan del Sur
Biblioteca Publica y Móvil

Protocol for Mobile Library Systems

The following guidelines are for those wishing to start a mobile lending library program. The examples used are based on the Proyecto Móvil, the mobile branch of the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Publica y Móvil, in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Please keep in mind that these are just suggestions, made after years of experience, and that you should do what is within reach of your project. If any other ideas or systems have worked for you, we would love to hear about them. Please contact us at janem101@aol.com

I) Overview:

The goal of the Proyecto Móvil of the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Publica y Móvil is to bring the lending library and community center services, offered by our library, to the people in surrounding communities who otherwise do not have access to books, information, or community center services. Presently, the Proyecto Móvil serves 20 communities around San Juan del Sur. It currently operates twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, visiting every community once a month. We are in the process of raising funds in conjunction with the Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All Program, a Colorado-based non-profit organization, to purchase our own 4×4 vehicle, which would allow us to operate on a full-time basis.

A typical outing is as follows: At 8:00 AM, a group composed of library staff and volunteers assembles at the library. We leave at this time as most primary schools in Nicaragua begin at 6:00AM and end at 12:00PM. At least three people are required to operate the transaction station and assist with the activities. The crates of books are loaded onto the bed of the truck, along with the games, activities, staff, and volunteers. Once at the school, the transaction center (composed of a collapsible plastic table, two chairs borrowed from a classroom or brought from the library, and the borrower cards) is set up, and the activities are ready to go. Students are let out five at a time to return their old books, find new ones (maximum of two), check them out, return them to their classroom, and then participate in the activities. If the activity involves a large group, the students must wait for the rest of the class to have checked out new books. It is best if the books are dealt with first, then the activity afterwards. Once all of the students have checked out new books, and the activities are finished, the crates are loaded back onto the truck, the transaction center disassembled, and we head off to the next community. We usually spend an average of 1.5 hrs in each community. Once the day is done, we head back to the library, put the crates back in the storage room, re-sort the books and replace the damaged ones, and put away the activities. Lunch is provided for the staff and volunteers, as well as for the driver. During the course of each outing, we visit two or three communities. We make a schedule for a few months at a time, and hand a copy to the teachers at each school. This ensures that the community knows when we are coming, so they will have their books with them that day. One Tuesday per month is kept free to accommodate communities that were missed during rained-out days, or to organize special events.

II) Choosing the communities

The Proyecto Móvil serves 20 communities around San Juan del Sur. Even though more communities could be included, the size of our operation allows us to adequately and effectively serve this number of communities. We strive to bring books and information to as many people as we can, but we must do so effectively. At this point, we visit every community at least once a month. Any greater span of time is not as efficient for book return and patron use. The goal of the Proyecto Móvil is to bring books and information to the people who otherwise have no access to them. Therefore, the communities that were chosen were those in which people could not afford books of their own, did not have transportation that allowed them to make the journey to the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Publica y Móvil, and could not afford games and activities for the children. The initial eight communities were chosen with the help of the A. Gene Brugger Foundation, a non-profit organization based in San Juan del Sur that provides college tuition to deserving students and school uniforms for the children in poverty-stricken communities.

III) Where to set up the mobile library in the community

The goal of a mobile library is to bring books and information to as many people as possible. Most of the communities that the Proyecto Móvil serves are in very rural areas where the houses are very spread apart. There are rarely any community buildings except for churches, schools, and bars. We chose the community schools as the ideal locations because the entire community knows their location, there are people there 6 days a week on a fixed schedule, and we could positively affect the education of the children. Other possible locations are community centers, churches, and hospitals.

IV) How to pick appropriate books

  1. The number of books brought should reflect the number of patrons. Multiple copies of the most popular books should be included. If there are too many books, then the people take too much time looking through them, and too much time is taken at one location. If there are too few books, not everybody gets one. It is also important to think about transportation; you have to be able to get them there and then bring them back in one trip. The Proyecto Móvil brings 7 to 8 crates of books and one crate of library supplies, affectionately know as “la oficina” (the office). The crates are plastic Rubbermaid boxes measuring either 18 or 25 quarts in size. Each crate can hold an average of 100 books. The crates are fastened to the bed of a pick-up truck with ropes or bungee cords for transportation.
  2. The type of books selected to bring should reflect the interests of the patrons that are visited. The Proyecto Móvil serves mostly children between the ages of 8 and 13, but also parents and teachers. Therefore, about 4 crates are used for illustrated story books, one crate for educational books (nature, mathematics exercises, science, history, geography, etc.), one crate for novels (young adult, romance, adventure, and literature), and one crate for dictionaries, non-fiction books, and English books. When replacing damaged books with new ones, you should take into consideration that most of the damage occurs through extensive usage and should be replaced by the same or similar books.
  3. The Proyecto Móvil has a separate collection of books from the stationary library collection and its own database and numbering sequence. Books are purchased for each system separately, but when we receive multiple copies of the same book, we allocate some of them to the stationary collection and some to the mobile project. If we receive donated volumes of books that we already have in the stationary collection, the older ones are erased from the stationary library registry and database and registered in the mobile project.

V) Registering books

Once the books are selected, they are assigned a registration number in the Proyecto Móvil database. All of these numbers are preceded by M, indicating that they are for use in the mobile project. The books are then entered into the computer database as well as the hand-written registry. The entries include title, author, and registration number. Once registered, the books are ready to be brought out in the Proyecto Móvil.

VI) Selecting your vehicle

The type of vehicle selected should be able to transport all of the books, supplies, staff and volunteers comfortably. Also, the vehicle should be able to handle local road conditions while fully loaded. The Proyecto Móvil uses a 4×4 pick up truck. The bed of the truck can easily fit all of the crates and staff and volunteers, and the four wheel drive is essential, as most roads are unpaved and in bad condition. In places where transporting people in the bed of a truck is illegal, a double cabin would be best. High clearance and a diesel engine are also good ideas. It is very important that the vehicle selected can be repaired and serviced locally, otherwise it can be out of commission for months while parts are shipped internationally.

VII) Time of departure and time at each location

In order to reach the most number of people possible, in our case at the community schools during class hours, travel time, setup time, the number of communities visited, and the amount of time in each community must be taken into consideration. In Nicaragua, most primary schools begin at 6:00AM and finish at 12:00PM. We visit 2 schools on every outing (a few schools have classes in the afternoon, so we visit them as a third community after lunch), spend an average of 1.5 hours in each community, which are between 30 minutes and 1 hour away, and take around 15 minutes to set up. Therefore, a departure time of 8:00AM is sufficient. When deciding how much time to spend in one community, the number of patrons should be taken into consideration. It is also important to remember that when you are on site, you are taking up class time. Therefore, time should be used effectively.

VIII) How many staff and volunteers should participate?

  1. It is always great when a lot of people want to go and help out on the Proyecto Móvil. However, if not properly organized, it becomes a victim of its own success. The important thing is that all of the staff and volunteers who go should remain occupied, so you need to bring plenty for them to do.
  2. The transaction center should be staffed by 2 or 3 people. If there are more, then the patrons get confused as to whom to approach. One person to retrieve and replace the borrower cards, one person to look up in the registry the names of patrons who have lost or forgotten their library cards to find their registration number, and one person to check books in and out.
  3. The other staff and volunteers should organize and supervise the activities. If there are already enough people to do this, then the extra people should start reading circles or help patrons choose their books.
  4. If there is no work for them to do and the extra volunteers just sit around doing nothing, it is not worth their being there. They will get bored, and their experience will not be as rewarding.

IX) Registering new patrons

  1. Each new patron must fill out the white personal information card (Appendix A), which includes:
    • a) First and last names (nombre y apellidos)
    • b) Address (direccion)
    • c) City (ciudad)
    • d) Telephone number (teléfono)
    • e) Occupation (ocupacion)
    • f) Birthday (fecha de nacimiento)
    • g) Signature (firma)
    • h) Registration date (fecha de registracion)

    It may happen that certain people are unable to fill in all of the registration fields. For example, in many of the communities around San Juan del Sur, there are no home addresses. In this case, the name of the community would suffice. In other cases, some young children have forgotten their birthdays, and some even their names. In these situations, try to ask the school teacher or one of their siblings for the additional information. Also, many houses in these communities do not have phones. If they do have a phone, the number should be recorded, as this is the easiest way to enquire about lost books. If no information is available, the entry field may be left blank.

  2. Enter the patron’s full names in the registry, along with the name of their community, and assign them the next available registration number in the registry. The registry is important, as it allows the library staff and volunteers to locate the registration number of each person.
  3. Give them a red library card (Appendix B) on which is written their name, the name of their community, and their registration number. The library cards for the Proyecto Móvil are a different color than those of the library (blue) so that we may distinguish them. This is because the patrons of each system are registered in different registries. Stationary libraries set up in some schools and churches have yellow library cards.
  4. Fill out a green borrower’s card (Appendix C) on which is written their name and registration number. In the Proyecto Móvil, the borrower’s cards are sorted by registration number. The borrower’s cards keep track of books borrowed, the date they were borrowed, and the date they were returned.

X) What each new patron receives with membership

Upon registration, each new patron receives their plasticized library card, a library bag (4 mil. plastic tote bag) in which they are encouraged to transport their books, and a book mark that explains the rules of the Proyecto Móvil (Appendix D).

XI) Borrowing books

  1. Children, students, and parents are allowed to check out a maximum of two books at a time. Teachers are allowed to check out a maximum of ten books at a time. Teachers can use the books they have checked out in their classroom lessons, and should be reminded and encouraged to do so.

    2. When a patron arrives at the transaction center with books to check out, ask he/she for his/her library card. If they have their library card, locate the registration number and find the corresponding green borrower’s card. If they do not have their library card, ask them for their full name. (In the communities around San Juan del Sur, most people have two first names and two or three last names. Some of their full names only differ by one individual name.) In the registry, find the appropriate section using the name of the community, and then locate the registration number associated with the name of the patron. Once located, find the corresponding green borrower’s card.

  2. Write the title of the book and the book registration number under the Titulo del Libro section of the borrower’s card and enter the date the books were borrowed under Prestada Fecha on the right side of the card.
  3. Keep track of the total number of borrowed books. This is for statistical purposes.

XII) Returning books

  1. When a patron arrives at the transaction center with books to be returned, ask he/she for his/her library card. If they have their library card, locate the registration number and find the corresponding green borrower’s card. If they do not have their library card, ask them for their full name. (In the communities around San Juan del Sur, most people have two first names and two or three last names. Some of their full names only differ by one individual name.) In the registry, find the appropriate section using the name of the community, and then locate the registration number associated with the name of the patron. Once located, find the corresponding green borrower’s card.
  2. Enter the date the books were returned, on the same line as the corresponding books, under Vuelta Fecha on the left side of the card.
  3. Return the books to the bins, keeping track of the total number of returned books. This is for statistical purposes.

XIII) How many students at a time can check out books

The number of students that can simultaneously look through the crates and check out books depends on the number of crates and the number of people working at the transaction center. If too many students look for books in a small number of crates, it becomes hard to keep track of the books, the students start to push and shove, and the books get damaged more easily. If there aren’t enough people working at the transaction center, then the staff and volunteers become overwhelmed, and the patrons become impatient. The Proyecto Móvil has seven crates of books, and usually has two or three people working at the transaction center. We try to keep the number of patrons at five at a time.

XIV) Inactive members

  • Every year at the schools visited by the Proyecto Móvil, students either move on to high school, move to another school that we do not visit, or stop attending school altogether. They then become inactive members in the Proyecto Móvil. Borrower cards of inactive members are difficult to identify, but usually correspond to patrons who have gone over a year without borrowing or returning books.
  • When an inactive member is identified, his name is erased from the registry, and his borrower’s card is filed alphabetically with those of other inactive members. This registration number then becomes the next available registration number for new patrons.
  • If students move to another school that we do visit, do not re-register them. Ask them for the name of the community in which they were registered, locate them in the registry, and then make the appropriate changes.

XV) Lost books

  1. When patrons arrive at the transaction center with books to check out, and their borrower’s card lists a book that has not yet been returned, ask them if they have returned it already; it is possible that it was returned but not checked in on their registration card. If they say that they have returned it, write down the present date as the returned date (Vuelta fecha).
  2. If the book was never returned, and was lost (not forgotten), then their library card is marked as not in good standing. This means that this patron may not participate in activities or fiesta days until his card becomes in good standing.
  3. We do not charge overdue fees for lost or late books, but we do ask that the patrons make up their lost books in other ways. Patrons may replace the book with another book, help out at the transaction center or with the activities, or pay $5 to replace the book. We believe that a book that is out in the community only serves to encourage others to read.

XVI) Forgotten books

  1. When patrons arrive at the transaction center with books to check out, and their borrower’s card lists a book that has not yet been returned, ask them if they have returned it already; it is possible that it was returned but not checked in on their registration card. If they say that they have returned it, write down the present date at the returned date (Vuelta fecha).
  2. If the book was never returned, and was forgotten (not lost), then the patron may only check out a single book. The patron is reminded of the forgotten book, and encouraged to bring it back for the next visit.
  3. We do not charge overdue fees for late and forgotten books as our schedule is subject to change depending on the weather, school holidays, and other factors.

XVII) Damaged books

  1. Over time, the books in the Proyecto Móvil get damaged. This is frequently the result of extensive use. The limited number of books in the Proyecto Móvil means that the books are checked out frequently.
  2. A book is deemed damaged when there are many missing pages, when the cover is separated from the rest of the book, or when there are rips and tears that cannot be repaired.
  3. These books are removed from the Proyecto Móvil and replaced with newer ones. If the damaged books are still in a readable condition, they are repaired and either donated to the Hester J. Hodgdon Library in a Box Program, or sold during library sales at significant discount.

XVIII) Keeping track of book exchanges

  1. For statistical purposes, it is useful to keep track of the number of books returned and borrowed, as well as the types of books borrowed. This helps to get an idea of the book return rate and the preferences of the patrons.
  2. In a separate notebook dedicated to this purpose, set up the following:
    Fecha Pueblo Total Libros Regresados Libros Prestados (ficción) Libros Prestados (no-ficción) Miembros Nuevos
    Adultos Niños Adultos Niños Adultos Niños Adultos Niños
    13/03/05 Las Pampas 5 9 10 15 6 12 2 4 3

    In the above example, on March 13, 2005, in the community of Las Pampas, 5 adults and 9 children participated in the Proyecto Móvil. The adults returned 10 books (2 books apiece) and the children returned 15 books. The adults borrowed 6 fiction and 2 non-fiction books, and the children borrowed 12 fiction and 4 non-fiction books. Not every person borrowed 2 books. There were also 3 new registered patrons.

  3. Keep track of these numbers in every community every day that the Proyecto Móvil is in service. The easiest way to do this is to keep all of the borrowers cards aside and tabulate the numbers before you leave each community.
  4. Once a month, tabulate the numbers, and plot a graph at the end of the year to view your progress and the book interests of your patrons.

XIX) Activities

Activities are a major component of the community center services of the Proyecto Móvil, and provide new experiences for the communities. Whether they are sports, arts and crafts, or educational games, the students really seem to enjoy them. Any activity can be performed, but the ones that we chose for the Proyecto Móvil follow a few guidelines.

  • a) The activities must be sustainable, meaning that when the Proyecto Móvil leaves, the community can replicate the activity with materials readily available to them. For example, bringing a video game entertainment system to one of the communities would be inconsiderate, as they would have no way to continue playing once we had left.
  • b) The activities should promote positive values, such as teamwork, leadership, and sharing, among others.

    • c) The activities must be entertaining and fun. The students should want to take part in them. This is the whole point behind the library cards being marked as not in good standing when a book is lost, and having the student make up for the loss before participating in the activities.

  • d) The activities must have flexible “rules”, meaning that they should be able to be performed by children of all ages, girls and boys, and large or small groups. This ensures that every student is included.
  • e) The activities should be able to be performed in the allotted time. Although the Proyecto Móvil is not bound by a fixed schedule, we must reach all of the communities by 12:00PM. Therefore, the activities must not take too long to complete.

Here are a few examples of activities that have been performed with the Proyecto Móvil:

  • a) Baseball: Bringing a small rubber ball is all that is required. A stick can be used as a bat, and trees, rocks, or any distinguishable feature in the ground can be used as bases and home plate. Mitts are not required. Teams can be made up of any number of players.
  • b) Football: Not the American kind. Football (soccer) is extremely popular in Nicaragua, and everyone loves playing. The schools do not have many activities, but most of them have soccer balls. Goal posts can be made of rocks, shoes, anything really.
  • c) Pylons: Bring a couple of pylons, and there are an infinite amount of activities that can be performed. The most popular, and by far the most exciting, are races. Set up the pylons (rocks can also be used) into various patterns, and have races around them, or through them. Standard races, wheelbarrow races, sac races, three-legged races, relay races, crab walk races, duck walk races, and so many more. The students love them, and they can be played with any number of people. They can also be used as part of obstacle courses.
  • d) Bean bags: These are easily made with ¼ cup of dried beans, a 12″ circle of cloth, and an elastic band. Throw them up high in the air and see who can catch them, or have teams of two throw them to each other and catch them with inverted pylons, backing up with every catch. They can also be used in Bajo del Mar (Appendix E). Each hole is worth a certain number of points, and the bean bags are thrown into the holes to accumulate points. This is a very popular game. Otherwise, draw circles in the sand or use paper plates, assigning each one a different point value.
  • e) Reading circles: Since the books are already on site, nothing else is required. Pick a fun picture book, sit in the shade, and read it aloud to the students while showing them the pictures. This is even popular with older children and adults.
  • f) Arts and crafts: Colored paper, markers, glue, popsicle sticks, anything can be used to make a craft project. Make picture frames out of popsicle sticks and glue, paper flowers for mother’s day, or weave bracelets from colored string.
  • g) Bubbles: Great bubble solution can be made from 1 part dish soap (especially Dawn or Joy Ultra), 15 parts water, and 0.25 parts glycerin (available in most pharmacies). Vary the amount of each to get different kinds of bubbles. Huge bubbles can be made with a large piece of string tied into a loop, and really neat bubbles can be made by bending a coat hanger into different shapes (heart, star, square). Show the students how to do it, then leave it to them and watch them get soaking wet.
  • h) Snake, Man, Snake: Give each person three sticks (popsicle sticks work best) and have them draw a snake on one side and a man on the other side of each stick. The sticks are thrown into the air and allowed to fall to the ground. Assign each combination a point value, or have the participants decide on the point values. For example, snake/snake/snake = 75 point, man/man/man = 50 points, snake/man/man = 30 points, and so on.
  • i) Paper planes: All it takes is a sheet of paper. Demonstrate how to make a paper plane, then have everyone make their own. Have each person decorate their plane with markers and stickers, then have a competition to see whose plane can fly the furthest.

These were just a few examples that have proven successful on the Proyecto Móvil. Be creative, have fun, and see what works for you! If you come up with anything really great, let us know.

XX) Other community center services

The Proyecto Móvil not only acts as a lending library service but also strives to provide worthwhile community center services. Sometimes, these can be performed by professionals who accompany us into the communities and hold seminars in lieu of the day’s activities. Look around your community to decide what issues should be addressed, but be sure that your services are respectful of local cultural values.

  • a) Dental hygiene: A dental hygienist demonstrated proper tooth-brushing techniques to children and adults and provided them with toothpaste, a toothbrush, and floss.We are in the process of extending our community center services for the Proyecto Móvil to include much needed forums on the following topics, which have proven successful at our stationary library in San Juan del Sur:
  • b) Community health: Information sessions on prenatal health, potable water, and proper food preparation given by a health care professional. Since doctors and hospitals are scarce in rural Nicaragua, there are a multitude of health-related topics that can and should be explored.
  • c) Pet care: Seminars on proper pet care and safety around animals given by a registered veterinarian.
  • d) Youth-at-risk: Seminars on teen pregnancy, venereal diseases, the risks associated with tattoos and body piercing, and domestic violence are topics that can be covered everywhere. Again, be mindful of cultural values in your community.
  • e) Craft leadership: Teach adults to be craft leaders for the children in their community. Show them a few basic skills and encourage them to use their imagination to come up with their own ideas. We have had wonderful success with this in the stationary library.

XXI) Conclusion

The Proyecto Móvil has been operating, expanding, and refining its operations since May 2003. Since then we have come a long way, but are still a work in progress. This protocol has been compiled by evaluating what has worked for us over the years and what has not. Please remember that these are only guidelines that we ourselves are still improving upon. You should not feel obliged to provide, nor limit yourself to, any or all of them. The fundamental goal is to provide essential services to a community in need, and no matter how big or small your operation becomes it will be beneficial and cherished by all who participate. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to know more on the Proyecto Móvil or the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Publica y Móvil, please visit our website at www.sjdsbiblioteca.org, or e-mail Jane Mirandette at janem101@aol.com. Good luck!