Library Lovers Build Community Relations

Student-driven outreach of library services

Abstract

Community Involvement Projects in Turkey are volunteer work by students while a faculty member acts as an advisor. A group of Robert College students initiated a project that was to develop a library in another school. Working at RC library made them familiar with all the necessary fields of the profession. They arranged lists of activities for the primary school students like reading or creating stories from pictures. The exercises they tried in their own library, the planning and correspondence they used with other institutions made our students aware of the network around them, developing their social competencies. All learned to work in teams, collaborating with other schools. They became decision makers in selecting sources for a school library. They empathized with other students who had no libraries. Not everything went well, but when problems arose they were able to come to a resolution. It was learning, sharing and teaching with fun.