RANFURLY LIBRARY BOOK AID PROJECT – A ROTARY INITIATIVE

The Ranfurly Library Service is a Rotary project that operates from an old warehouse in Sydney, Australia.

Basic reading books for younger school children and books for secondary school and adult readers are collected, sorted and packed for distribution by sea to schools and community libraries throughout the small island nations of the South West Pacific.

Since the establishment of this Rotary project, over two million books have been dispatched to needy communities in the islands of the Pacific.

Books are collected from schools, libraries and individuals and brought to the depot every Thursday for sorting and packing. Volunteer workers from several Rotary clubs operate between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm each Thursday. Each volunteer brings a brown bag lunch and there is always good fellowship as Rotarians and friends work together.

Some volunteers are able to devote most Thursdays to book sorting, while others help one or twice a month. It is a great opportunity for Rotarians to give practical service.

The sorting and packing process requires care and attention to detail, to ensure that the correct mix of book subjects is consigned to the correct destination.  Books in poor condition are sent to a paper recycle plant, while those in good condition are sorted by subject and appropriate student age group.

Sorting and packing includes books for Infant, Primary and Secondary School levels.

Children’s storybooks are always in demand, together with Readers Digest Condensed Books, geography, science and travel books (especially with photos and pictures) and atlases and English dictionaries for older children.

Other books requested by needy communities in the Pacific region include trade manuals on carpentry, plumbing, automobile maintenance and farming skills. Others include hospital nursing reference books, first aid books and textbooks covering the subjects of math, music, history, economics, and commerce

National Geographic magazines and Australian Geographic magazines are also sorted and shipped.

There is no shortage of book donations. The main challenge is the cost of shipment to remote island communities in the Pacific. Rotary eClub One is one of several Rotary clubs that fund this cost, ensuring that literacy skills are developed and nurtured in communities that would otherwise be neglected.