Because the car is being repaired in the garage, we stay a few days in a hotel in Tabora.
The advantage of this is the extra time we have to explore the city .Today we discover the regional library and as I like the library of Etten-Leur, I’m curious about the way things work out in a Tanzanian library. We are kindly received by Lucia, the librarian. She feels very honored that we have interest in her work and takes the time to show the library.
The collection consists mainly of English textbooks, English fiction and of course – a fairly small collection of – books in Swahili. Specifically, there is a large collection of ‘easy readers books’. Lucia and I have an interesting conversation about the importance of reading and language development. Nice to experience that we agree on this subject.
Compared to our libraries, you can only find books. No games, DVDs, CD’s, computers, etc.
The last room we visit is the department with children’s books, only open on Saturday. Here we find some picture books, reading books and a stuffed toy.
In the common room, many students are very focused at work. They often use the textbooks from the library because they don’t possess their own books.
All together, we have an interesting visit!