Phase 1: Pilot (2021): Post COVID, we felt the need for a free community library space so that children have access to books even outside the school premises. So we ran a small pilot project, where we set up a free library for 2 months. In just 2 months, over 65 members were enrolled and over 2600+ books were borrowed.
Phase 2 (December 2022 onwards): Due to the success of our pilot project, we have set up a free community library, that is open all 7 days of the week, even amidst heavy snowfall. In just three months, the place witnessed a footfall of close to 1,000.
Phase 3 (September 2023 onwards): We now have a free community library in Kaza, Spiti Valley; our new space was inaugurated in Sep 2023. Over 10,000 books have been read in this space in six months. The total collection has which has 2100 books. 45 children have finished reading 100 books in the last six months.
This free community library is an ‘active’, space where we encourage children to read by engaging them in various activities like storytelling, art workshops, bookmaking, toys and games etc.