In early February, after months of hard work and anticipation, Limitless Horizons Ixil and the community of Chajul celebrated the inauguration of the community’s first public library, Saber Sin Límites (Limitless Knowledge). Students, teachers, and school directors all attended the inauguration, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches, explanation of the library’s function and rules, and festive marimba music. Our librarian Raquel and other representatives from LHI and Philanthropiece have talked with school directors and made presentations in classrooms, as well as promoted Saber Sin Límites on the local radios and by word of mouth, in order to encourage students and community members to use the library.
In just its first weeks, we have seen great response to Saber Sin Límites. Over 80 students and teachers from various schools in Chajul have come by to learn about the library’s resources and sign up for library cards. Raquel has been teaching library users about the rules and library guidelines, helping them with their assignments, and registering them for library cards. In preparation for the library’s opening, our librarian Raquel, with LHI students, volunteers, and other staff, worked hard to put identifying labels on each book, create a large flower symbol for the wall that identifies the different sections of books and their corresponding colors, paint murals, decide on and post the library’s rules, and design and paint the library’s new logo on the building. LHI students, as part of the Work to (L)earn program, are assisting Raquel by organizing books and returning them to the shelves, helping other students find books, and making library cards.