Mobile Project The Original Idea The San Juan del Sur Proyecto Móvil was established on May 12, 2003 by Jane Mirandette and her colleague Meghan Field. They realized their goal to provide lending library services to the surrounding communities who had never had access to books or reading materials. Since schools are often the only community structures in these areas, they were deemed the ideal place to set up the mobile library stations. A meeting was held with the San Juan del Sur school district supervisor and several teachers of the surrounding schools. It was decided that it was essential that students and their families have access to books, and the Proyecto Móvil was initiated. Since servicing only a few communities in the beginning, the project has grown and now brings books, games, and arts and crafts to 20 schools in the surrounding communities. Twice a week, crates of books are loaded onto the back of a pickup truck for the journey into the campo and forest. Library staff and volunteers share the truck bed with the book crates and activities during the bumpy ride out to the schools. Once at the school, the crates are unloaded from the truck. Various stations are set up, including games, crafts, and book exchange. Once the mobile library is set up, everyone from the community comes out to see what new books we have. Students not only pick out novels, but also dictionaries, science books, and math exercises. Teachers take out books to read to their students. Parents even come to check out books. Every student, teacher, and parent is registered and given a library card. Books that are loaned and returned are itemized on each person's activity sheet. The book return rate is extremely high, at 96 percent. In regard to the few unreturned books, it is our philosophy that books somewhere in the community encourage others to read. However, the patron who has lost a book is asked to return it, replace it, pay for it, or work it off before they may borrow another book or participate in our activities. Our staff and volunteers always have big smiles out at the schools, especially when we process 150 returned books, sign up 50 new patrons, and check out 200 more books! Games are always a big hit with the children. This particular one was made by student volunteers from the Boston area years ago, and is still one of our most popular. Every one has a great time, especially when someone manages to sink a ball into "el sapo". Story time is also a lot of fun. Sometimes the children have us read the same story over and over until its time to leave. On to the next school. Noticing a marked change in her students’ academic abilities, Melania Vardes, the Supervisor of Schools for Las Pampas wrote the following letter to the Proyecto Móvil: "I would like to have the rest of the schools that I supervise incorporated into your mobile project as well. The teachers at the Las Pampas school have told me about the change in their students, which began after the Mobile Project’s first visit. Now, their students are more interested in their studies and their education. They wait excitedly for the Project’s next visit to their school so that they can exchange their books and take out new ones. However, the same enthusiasm stays with these students in their daily studies. Before the Project, there were some children who could not read. Now, they are reading. They are fascinated by books. Their imaginations are growing as is their desire for more education. Your Project affords these students with a very special and unique opportunity. They are doing better as a result. I am here to ask you if it would be possible to incorporate four more schools that I supervise into your program so that more children can have the same experience and benefit from the Mobile Project." The four other schools under Sra. Vardes’ supervision were promptly added.