Room to Read: A Journey of Establishing Libraries in Nepal

The story of 'Room to Read', established in 2000 with the belief that change is possible through educated children, is interesting. John Wood, the China business head of the world-renowned Microsoft company, came to Nepal for a visit in 1998. During his visit to Nepal, he reached Bahunḍāṇḍā of Lamjung. Pashupati Sharma took him to a nearby school. John Wood was startled upon entering the library of the school where 450 students were studying. There were only a few books inside a dilapidated box, useless even to the teachers. John Wood says that seeing such a pathetic condition changed the course of his life. Seeing education without books, John Wood resolved that day to build libraries for schools in Nepal. Exactly one year later, he established a library by carrying 3,000 books on 6 mules to the school in Bahunḍāṇḍā. He decided he had to do something in Nepal himself, but seeing that it would not be successful while he was employed at Microsoft, he quit his job. Is that all? He also separated from the girl he loved dearly and who loved him dearly, and in 2000, founded an international non-governmental organization called Room to Read. Dinesh Shrestha played a big role in establishing this organization. Dinesh Shrestha is known as a co-founder of Room to Read. Initially, containers full of English books were brought from America. Bhola Kumar Shrestha also helped in distributing these books for free to schools and other libraries. Seeing that English books were not very useful for schools, Nepali language books suitable for libraries began to be sent from Nepal. Bhola Kumar Shrestha, Murari Binod Pokharel, and Rajiv Dhar Joshi provided 3-day training in various districts for library management. Thus, Room to Read has established libraries in more than four thousand five hundred schools so far. It has published about 400 titles of children's literature. This has given a big boost to children's literature publishing in Nepal. So far, Room to Read has distributed more than 10 million books for free, including its publications and other books. Currently, Room to Read is working in 600 schools in 15 districts of Nepal. It has constructed buildings for three hundred schools. In addition, it is providing scholarships up to class 12 to more than three thousand low-income female students. Currently, Room to Read has arranged book corners in classrooms to develop reading skills and has also changed reading styles. It emphasizes teaching-learning, the use of educational materials, etc. Today, Room to Read is working in 20 countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, South Africa, and Laos. John Wood is a living example of what can be achieved if a person truly desires it. Its head office is located in San Francisco, California. The book written by John Wood, 'From Microsoft to Bahunḍāṇḍā', is a must-read. However, since 017 BS, regardless of which government was formed under whose leadership, all those governments have appeared indifferent to the development and expansion of libraries. The government did not prioritize libraries. Nor was a library law enacted. Forget about building libraries that the country could be proud of! The standards of existing libraries have been declining further and further. Although the Constitution of Nepal 072 has given a place to libraries, work has not been done accordingly. Rather, during this period, domestic and foreign organizations have been doing a lot of work for the development of libraries. Let's briefly understand what kind of work has been done for the development of libraries since 046 BS. Reading in Library and Information Science The development of the library system in Nepal has crossed two hundred years, but the history of teaching library science is not very long. After the advent of democracy, libraries began to be established in many schools, colleges, universities, research centers, and institutions. Along with this, public and community libraries also started opening. The few human resources who had studied library science abroad were not enough. Therefore, efforts were made to systematize it by conducting short-term training in library management and operation within Nepal. The first short-term library training in Nepal was conducted by the Central Library of Tribhuvan University in 1974. Three-day training and seminars are found to have started from Palpa. Similar training also took place in Dharan and Kathmandu. However, systematic training in library management and operation only began in 1991 when the Nepal Library Association prepared a 35-day curriculum in affiliation with the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training. Helen Parsons, a British citizen, made a significant contribution to the preparation of this curriculum. Institutions like the Nepal Library Association, Tribhuvan University Central Library, National Library of Nepal, Kathmandu Valley Public Library, and Limsec were active in conducting the 35-day training that started this way. Currently, the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training has prepared curricula from level one to level four. Training for three levels is provided for three months under the convenorship of Bhola Kumar Shrestha, while training for the fourth level has not yet been conducted. A system for national skill testing has also been arranged under the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training. However, very few people participate in it. The reason is that the Public Service Commission does not make the skill test certificate mandatory. Nevertheless, library management training of three, seven, 14, and 21 days is being conducted according to the convenience of the respective institutions. Thousands of semi-professional librarians have been produced in Nepal and they are working. However, due to the lack of library positions in schools, colleges, and public libraries, they are not prioritized in libraries. Because of this, libraries are not functioning properly. Library and Information Science As the demand for starting studies in Library and Information Science in Nepal grew, a working group was formed on November 13, 048 BS, under the convenorship of Dr. Tulsiram Vaidya, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, to establish the Central Department of Library and Information Science. The members of the working group included Purna Prasad Amatya, Chief of Tribhuvan University Central Library, Madhusudan Karki, Deputy Chief of Tribhuvan University Central Library, Nirmala Shrestha, Chief of the Documentation Center at RECAST, Subarna Bajracharya, Librarian at the Agricultural Projects Service Center, Rudra Prasad Dulal of the Nepal Library Association, and Shanti Mishra as advisor. After the report prepared by the working group and the documentation of discussions with various stakeholders, the Central Department of Library and Information Science was established under Tribhuvan University from 052 BS. To be admitted to the Department of Library and Information Science, one must have a bachelor's degree in any other subject. Initially, only a one-year bachelor's program was offered, which was later discontinued, and a two-year master's program began in 059 BS. So far, 138 students have completed their bachelor's degrees and 217 have completed their master's degrees from this department. Dilliraman-Kalyani Memorial Library Dr. Dilliraman Regmi was born on Poush 3, 1970 BS, in Kathmandu. His father's name was Rohini Raman and his mother's name was Mukti Devi. His mother passed away when he was young, and his father was often away for work, so his childhood was spent under the guardianship of his maternal uncle, Pandit Hemraj Pandey. Hemraj Pandey was a profound scholar of Sanskrit. He had a large library called 'Bharti Bhawan' in his own house. Thus, Dr. Regmi, from his childhood, being in the company of scholars and in close proximity to libraries, and being a brilliant student himself, excelled in his studies. As a result, he became the first Nepali to earn a Vidyavaridhi (PhD) from Patna University, India, in 1965. He was also imprisoned during India's freedom struggle. Regmi, who was active against the Rana regime through the establishment of the Nepali National Congress, later also became a minister. His first marriage was to Kalyani Pandey. As Kalyani passed away prematurely, he married Nutan Pandey for the second time. Three daughters and one son were born from his first wife. Dr. Dilliraman Regmi introduced Nepal to the world by writing about ancient, medieval, and modern history in English. He passed away at the age of 87 on Bhadra 10, 058 BS. The Dilliraman-Kalyani Regmi Memorial Library is in operation at Gyanodaya Ashram in Lazimpat, located in the heart of Kathmandu city. Inspired by the spirit of 'Service is Religion and Religion is Service', the renowned scholar, politician, and social worker Dr. Dilliraman Regmi, a follower of Buddha and Gandhi, inaugurated the library, museum, and research center in 037 BS with the hands of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. To ensure access of the Nepali people to the library and museum established by Regmi, he bequeathed it to the Ministry of Education of the Government of Nepal after his death. Dr. Regmi established the Dr. Dilliraman Trust in 053 BS for the development, expansion, and continuity of the library and museum. He took guardianship of the trust himself and appointed former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala as the vice-chairman. An endowment fund of 3.5 million rupees was also deposited in the trust. When this library came under the Ministry of Education of the Government of Nepal, it contained approximately 25,000 books and periodicals. Currently, there are 35,000 books here. The collection of Dharanidhar Koirala is also included in this library. (Edited excerpt from the book 'Libraries in Nepal')