The importance of reading in weak sectors

La Pintana is the poorest municipality in the metropolitan area, both economically and educationally, however, it has a library with endless materials ready and willing to be used free of charge by Pintaninos.

In a colonial-style building, with over 10,000 books, open shelves, materials in Mapudungun, Wi-Fi connection, and cultural activities, La Pintana Municipal Library tells of a space for residents, especially children, of a municipal deferred site with a history and people committed to its growth.

The library is located in the heart of La Pintana, next to the modern theater and the modest Plaza de Armas of the municipality, near the municipality. It was founded on September 14, 1988 and since then its function has been to serve the Bantaneen, and to promote reading through various activities and meetings. Since its opening until now, the library has gone through different periods of mayorship and, accordingly, of organization, and for this reason it has participated in different transformations in its operation and image.

From her beginnings in the world of work, Olga Rodríguez Pezua (58 years old) worked for the municipal service of La Pintana in various departments, but in 1991 she came to its library to work as a secretary. After 32 years in the business, today she is Director of the Municipal Library.

Rodriguez wistfully recalls that she began her work in the library when she was very young, and that her Pedagogical Certificate in Basic General Education with mention in English, added to the closed environment of the building, depressing her to the point of feeling like it was a dead space. Over time, being a secretary forced her to take assistant librarian courses, which excited her, and led her to realize all that it entailed running a facility like that, eventually making her fall in love with her work.

Olga Rodriguez now remembers her efforts and those of many co-workers who dedicated themselves to moving the library forward, feeling very proud and happy with all that she was able to achieve as Director.

emission

In 2017, the National Survey of Socio-Economic Characterization (CASEN) showed that 516,000 illiterate people were registered in Chile, and most worryingly, between 4.5 and 7.1% of these individuals come from the poorest regions of the country. In this case, La Pintana is the most vulnerable community in the metropolitan area, followed by Lo Espejo and Cerro Navia, according to the 2022 Social Priority Index (IPS).

Since La Pintana is a municipality with little access to reading, due to its economic and educational shortcomings, it is essential that opportunities such as those offered by its library are not lost.

Olga Rodriguez says that when she got to the library as a secretary, it was an inconspicuous and stimulating place, and she gradually fell in love with it thanks to the library assistant courses she had to take. But in 2005 he had a great opportunity to change the way the library operated when the person in charge of the place left at the time, and Rodriguez was given the position “temporarily,” a moment that continues to this day: “They gave me and from there I worked hard, because Administrators are always changing, and that motivated me to give feedback and innovate,” she says from the building, surrounded by colorful books and educational materials.

By the time he took office, the books were not in sight because the shelves were completely closed, and the people of the commune faced many restrictions to access library materials, so Rodriguez decided to make the necessary changes to improve the service of the pentanin, applying for projects, changing furniture and adjusting requirements so that people could Taking readings home: “There are still libraries that keep their shelves closed but La Pintana spent 10 years with their shelves open,” he asserts.

book circle

Information from the CASEN 2017 survey ensures that Chile is among the countries with the most inequality among countries that participate in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), meaning that children in high-risk areas, such as La Pintana, have less access to quality education, and in In this case the library was an essential support for the education of children in the community. Rodríguez asserts that “Books are very expensive and sometimes the schools do not have all the materials that the educational community requires, so the loan is taken from here either through the reading program or through the travel fund.”

The purpose of these activities is to bring reading closer to the children of municipal schools, regardless of whether it is municipal or private, and has great access among the younger ones. In addition to the Reader and Travel Box, the library carries out cultural activities, digital literacy, storytelling, mobile library, competitions and workshops, in which a large number of participants took part, showing that the people of La Pintana are genuinely interested in literature.

Despite the positive turnout for the library’s activities, there is one in particular that catches the attention of the current Director, the Book Circle. Started in July 2022, this proposal filled the facilities with its participants, the majority of whom were university students or young workers interested in learning to write in a literary way and meeting writers and publishers’ representatives invited to the sessions: a very nice group, so strong that the regional coordinator herself was glad when She saw us,” she confirms.

However, over time, attendance decreased due to the maximum academic working hours for participants, to the point where a maximum of three people attended meetings, so the project was put on hold.

“I don’t want to make her disappear,” Rodriguez says firmly. “The idea is that we can see a timeline in which this can be done and allow that time to pass, because when it’s cold, people don’t like to go out much,” she adds, hoping for the future of the book. circle.

Municipal promises

With the Book Circle being the only activity going through temporary closure, the manager assures that at other events they are doing well, but the success of these events did not come overnight, as it was a work in progress.

Today, Olga Rodriguez can recognize the talent she finds among the corridors of bookshelves and furnished rooms in the library. This is the case of Juan Olaf, a famous writer from Pinta, who has written several books and donated copies of them to the Foundation: “She is a gem for us, and whenever there are literary events, she is the first one we invite,” he said. with a smile.

In the face of promising bentans like Mr. Olaf, the director is confident in her ability to increase society’s interest in writing and reading, which is why she and her team are always looking for a way to motivate people to approach books: “We try to make people aware of the materials we have because I think literature is very important. It is important So much for you to take a book, to feel its scent, that it transports you, that it gives you imagination.”

Although the La Pintana Municipal Library offers a wide variety of books, workshops and events aimed at all types of ages, Olga Rodriguez emphasizes childhood: “As the La Pintana community, we are stigmatized, and it is very important that you read the promotion from the beginning, Since babies are in a mother’s womb,” she muses from her desk in her office, which she painstakingly managed to obtain when she became a manager and which she wears proudly today.