Biblioteca Comunitaria Rija’tzuul Na’ooj – San Juan La Laguna, Sololá
This library serves a totally indigenous community on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlán. It was opened in early 2005 and serves approximately 12,000 people including those in the outlying communities. The first language of the residents is Tz’utujil though most also speak Spanish and some also K’iche. Much of the credit for the fact that this library has become a vibrant community center goes to local resident, Israel Quic, who now serves as a programming director for the Riecken network. Programming includes daily story hours in both Spanish and Tz’utujil, traditional cultural exchanges between children and elders, book clubs, youth programs including music and environmental advocacy, and a plethora of activities in conjunction with the community. A recent project involved the publication of two bilingual books in Spanish and Tz’ujutil, which are beautifully illustrated written versions of oral stories handed down by the village elders of San Juan La Laguna. In 2012 generous donors funded a business center so that the women of the community could use the internet to market their handicrafts. Many speak of this community as a model Guatemalan community and much of the credit for that goes to the work of the library. Should you find yourself visiting Lake Atitlán hop a boat to San Juan and ask the tuk tuk driver to take you to the “biblioteca.” Experience its vibrancy for yourself. If you are a speaker of Spanish you can follow this library on Facebook by searching for Biblioteca Comunitaria Rija’tzuul Na’ooj (“Seeds of Knowledge”).