Zalaan Library: A Dream the Color of Books and Libraries

Children of Zalaan village impatiently await the end of coronavirus. They are longing to go to their library. A library that didn’t exist before the pandemic and was established in spring 2020. Zalaan village has a population of over 1500, 300 of which are children and teenagers. Zalaan and its three nearby villages didn’t have any entertainment or cultural centers outside of school until a Read with Me library was established with help from San’aan. Sedighi and locals.

Sedighi is a Read with Me promoter in Kermanshah province who is responsible for libraries supported by Keep Children in School foundation. Before the establishment of Zalaan Library, Sedighi would borrow book backpacks from Javanroud Library and hold read-aloud sessions in Zalaan village himself. During this time, he was able to attract 4 other promoters. In spring 2019, a Read with Me ambassador held read-aloud and children’s literature workshops for these 4 promoters in Javanroud Library. In summer, they held read-aloud sessions in schools twice a week. That’s how Zalaan children were introduced to quality books and began dreaming of having a library in their own village.

A few months back, Salas Library was finally transferred from the cabin it was located at to a building. Mr. Sedighi suggested that this now-abandoned cabin be relocated to Zalaan village. In February 2020, the cabin arrived at Zalaan. By spring, the library was in place and the locals had even planted trees around the cabin.

The covid-19 outbreak hindered the rest of the process. Despite that, in May 2020, about 650 titles and more than 1300 books were sent to the library. The library then started its activities, in accordance with the ongoing conditions.