I can only hope that some of this blog's readers will donate not only books, but also money for the "I-CARE Reading Program" alluded to in the photo above, which I took at a public elementary school in Bug-ong, Mambajao, Camiguin. In case you would like to help, please call or text +639089742613 or send an email to blessed.woman1@yahoo.com.
I am featuring this appeal on my blog, however, for another reason: as an example of what persons assigned to public school libraries in the Philippines should NOT do. Please don't get me wrong. I am not blaming the blessed woman for her lack of marketing savvy. She is, after all, a school property custodian, not a licensed librarian.
She did a few things right. The most significant was a big sign saying "READING PARK," which caught my eye as I rode past the school several times on my way to and from the resort where I was staying. I kept wondering what a reading park was, so I finally asked the driver to stop on one trip, and knocked on the school's gate.
The following photos indicate what I saw before I actually encountered the sign above:
So what's the problem? Even though the "READING PARK" sign could be seen from the road, I did not see the banner asking for book donations—even though it was written in big, bold letters—until I had entered the school and approached the unfinished structure.
Question: Are you sure that your requests are being seen by the right people?
