A different kind of bookmobile

Books inspire some people to do great things and today's N.Y. Times reported another case of a dedicated man spending countless hours to take books to people who are unlikely to have them otherwise. This story comes from rural Colombia where a school teacher began to collect books from friends and supporters to take to people who live far from libraries or bookstores. He straps the bundles of books on a burro and walks the long roads in Colombia delivering books to people who want them. When a story about him appeared in a local newspaper, his supply of books shot up and his limited efforts expanded into a full time operation. It's hard to know what may happen after this story reaches the worldwide circulation of the Times. Why is it that librarians are so touched by these stories? Perhaps because it is the greatest justification that can be found for our efforts to give children access to books. Sometimes the children in our affluent neighborhoods may seem indifferent to our offerings, but when we read about how important books are in the lives of people living in harsh circumstances in a faraway country we know again that books are important and our work is vital. The books we offer today may not be highly valued, but someday many of the children who come to our libraries will remember them and will recognize how their lives were shaped by the books the librarian gave them in the children's department.