School holidays are a time of joy that students eagerly anticipate, as they can play all day. This might be true for some students, but not for a group of children who visit the librarian’s home at SDI Danga.

“Ma’am, can we read books in the library?”
This question they ask proves their longing for books during the school holidays.

The librarian is helping a student for book checkout

It doesn’t happen every day, but it has occurred more than once. The librarian is, of course, happy to welcome her students’ requests. The library building is opened, and the students excitedly search for books to read. Often, they don’t just read one book but they might read several in one visit.

“Sometimes they come to my house, and since my house is within the school grounds, it’s easy for me to serve them in the library during school holidays,” said Mrs. Ida, the librarian at SDI Danga from 2020 to 2022.

The close proximity between the librarian’s home and the library building is a supporting factor in facilitating library services during school holidays. This good practice has been in place for a long time and has continued under the new librarian.

A student is joyfully reading a book in the library

“I open the library during the holidays when students come to my house asking to read. However, when other students see the library is open, even those playing soccer stop by to read in the library,” explained Mrs. Imel, the librarian from 2022 to the present.

Students at SDI Danga already have a love for reading, so books have become a necessity for them. When they know the library is open, they come to read there.

This is a particular joy for the librarian. It turns out that her regular efforts to encourage children to develop a reading habit have paid off.

So, if you’re wondering if it’s true that SDI Danga students read books during the holidays, the answer is absolutely yes. How is that possible? Because students at SDI Danga have already developed the habit of reading, so reading is no longer a task assigned by the teacher but a habit that forms when children want to read, frequently read, and enjoy reading both at school and at home.

TBP team is explaining about book leveling to SDI Danga’s teachers

SDI Danga is one of the school partners of Taman Bacaan Pelangi in Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara. The child-friendly library at SDI Danga was inaugurated in 2020, along with two other schools, SDN Dhawe Dori and SDI Ratedosa.

Approximately four years of partnership have been established with Taman Bacaan Pelangi. The good practice of supporting students’ reading habits continues to be well-maintained in SDI Danga’s child-friendly library. The collaboration between the Principal, teachers, and librarian has successfully fostered students’ interest in reading, as evidenced by students choosing to read books even during school holidays.