Nuts and Bolts information about la Biblioteca

Classification: The books housed in the two room Biblioteca are arranged in a very simple system. The books are divided into groups: Easy / Children's / Yound Adult / Information / Poetry / Teacher Preparation. Each of these groups is assigned a different color of tape. A small piece of tape is added to the spine along with the first few letters of the author's last (or middle, as in Spanish tradition) name. The system works very well for the books housed in la Biblioteca. One must remember that the majority of books are out, circulating among the many programs of Biblioteca.

Use of books: In some of the programs, children are allowed to take the books home to read. La Ronda de Libros, the program in which the teachers take responsibility for the books, allows children to take the books home after filling out informational forms. Students that visit la Biblioteca may also take books home with the permission of one of the volunteers. The books in the Bibliobus (Bookmobile), the Trencito de la Lectura (Book Train), the "Para No Estar Solos" program at CAICC, and the other programs are read on-site only.

Physical condition of books: La Biblioteca now claims over 7,000 books in their collection. The conditions of the books vary. Many of the books have been donated (and delivered) by students and faculty from Appalachian State University and are in very good condition. Other books are in need of repair. A future project for interested volunteers would be to bring the equipment, materials, and expertise to la Biblioteca to repair books.