Library

The Pratham Library program aims to reach out to all children in the community by giving them access to quality books to read. All children in the age group 3-14 years are covered through the distribution of books. Many activities are conducted by the volunteer/librarian to enhance and sustain reading skills in children.

Objective :

The main objective is to inculcate the habit of reading among children and to ensure that every child is in the education net. It also aims to involve parents and encourage community participation.

Pedagogy:

The program covers children in the age group of 3 - 14 and above 14. The library runs for a minimum of 3 hours in a day, for 7 months.

The library can be stationary or mobile. While the stationary library can be based in a community or a school or an urban learning center, the mobile library consists of a librarian who goes door-to-door to distribute the books to the children. This is done to reach children who reside in especially difficult pockets of the community/area where we cannot establish a center because of space constraints. The library consists of 300 - 450 age appropriate books in Marathi, English, Hindi and Urdu. These books are distributed amongst the students, and the borrowings are recorded in a library register.

Functions of the Librarian :

● Community profiling and mapping to assess the need of the library program

● Distribution of books

● Pre & post testing of children

● Organize activities in coordination with program teams

● Mobilize and enroll members and students for the library

● Conduct home visits for the mobile library program (minimum 10 houses per day)