Department of Library and Information Studies

LIS Student Sets Up Library in Haiti

Claire Walker, a graduate student in her last semester of the LIS program, has recently returned from a trip to Haiti, where she set up a library in a primary school. Although Claire has been working on this project since last summer, she developed the idea much earlier. On a previous trip to Haiti, she met and befriended a Haitian couple who had founded a school. After visiting the school, she quickly recognized their need for a library and decided to make it happen.

Claire has been involved in this process every step of the way, from coordinating minor construction at the school to make a space for the library to fundraising, ordering books, and coming up with a plan for organization.

Difficulties with the shipping and customs process in Haiti forced Claire and her father, who accompanied her on this trip, to do some quick problem solving, because the books they originally sent to Haiti were unavailable. They brought some books with them (as many as they could fit into their bags) and also bought some books from local bookstores once they arrived in the city of Cap Haitien, where the school is located. In addition, they provided the teachers with all the supplies that they will need to set up and use the library once the books are released from customs, which will hopefully be in the next few weeks (although it may take several more months).

While in Haiti, Claire was able to train the teachers and director of the school in how to set up the library and use it once the books arrive. Because most of the teachers had very little experience with libraries, Claire developed a simple organizational system to fit their needs. This system involved using different colored labels and coordinating book cards for each level of reader. In addition, the students and teachers received a card from the school in the United States that raised all the funds for the library project. The Haitian students also wrote cards to the students in the United States to thank them for providing them with the opportunity to have a library.

This experience has been beneficial for all involved. The students in Haiti have not only gained a library, but also a bond with the students in the United States who worked to raise the funds. Claire not only met a need for the school in Haiti, but she was also able to apply her LIS education at every level of the process and gain more first-hand knowledge than any class could have provided!

Department of Library and Information Studies
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
349 Curry Building, PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
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EMAIL cpfelts@uncg.edu