National Library Hosts Fourteenth Annual Book Fair
The Belize National Library Service and Information System today held the fourteenth annual book fair at the Leo Bradley Library on Princess Margaret Drive in Belize City. It encourages youths to read and today, Duane Moody stopped by and has this report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Throughout the year, the Belize National Library Service and Information System organizes several activities held across the country to promote an informed, aware and literate society that fosters national development and cultural heritage. One of the biggest events held annually is a Book Fair/Open Day at the Leo Bradley Library in Belize City that encourages reading among youths.
Sarah Castillo
Sarah Castillo, Senior Library Assistant, Leo Bradley Library
“Today is our fourteenth annual book fair/open day. And we are here to instill the essence of books and reading. Everything right now has to do with technology, but reading is still the basis of everything; you still need to read to do the basic things and reading will get you where you want to go.”
Today, hundreds of students from Belize District schools gathered to expand their imagination and writing skills and improve on their vocabulary while participating in many events held throughout the day.
Tyler Ramirez
Tyler Ramirez, Ladyville Technical High School
“Reading makes you more intelligent, makes you smarter and wiser and opens your imagination to a wider point that you can think of anything and bring it to real life if you know how to draw and sketch.”
Mikaylia Jonch, Holy Redeemer Primary School
“I like that reading makes you enter a whole different world. It is imaginative; it is fun and recreational.”
Duane Moody
“What type of books do you like?”
Mikaylia Jonch
Mikaylia Jonch
“I love mystery books and fiction.”
A total of fourteen schools, including preschool, primary and secondary level institutions participated in four competitions.
Sarah Castillo
“Today we are having four major competitions and that’s the essence of what we do. We have the story writing competition; the story reading competition; we have a poster competition and a coloring competition sponsored by San Cas.”
Duane Moody
“Who is eligible to participate?”
Sarah Castillo
“Well we usually have the schools. The preschoolers do the coloring competition. The primary school does the story reading and the story writing and the high school does the poster competition.”
According to Vice Principal at Holy Redeemer, Lourdes Alamina, a common practice instilled in students is to DEAR – Drop Everything and Read.
Lourdes Alamina
Lourdes Alamina, Vice Principal, Holy Redeemer Primary School
“Some children do not even know where the library is. So it is very important for them to learn about reading; it helps a lot. We push for a lot of reading at our school.”
Duane Moody
“I understand that you guys have a program in place that encourages the youth, your students, to actually go to the libraries, pick up a book and read.”
Lourdes Alamina
“Yes, what we do is we encourage the teachers to have the children go to the library; we try, at least once a month, to take them…especially in the sixes because they are preparing for the P.S.E. and they need that exposure. So we take them, ask them to join the library and they love it when we go there.”
Aside from a wide variety of books in different subject areas, the library offers numerous services including access to internet and computers for the general public on a daily basis. Duane Moody for News Five.
