Yael's+Project

toc  Ifaces 2011

Learning to help our communities =Rationale = What can I learn from a librarian? What does she do to help our community? What can a librarian do for Israel? How does this affect my life? What can I do for Israel?  I chose to interview the main librarian of the Efrat public library, Nava Livne. I am interested in learning about the role a library plays in community life. I would like to learn more about the Efrat library in particular, and about the idea of libraries in the larger picture.  One of my main questions is: What is the importance of a library? A library, of course, in not essential for community life, but it is clearly an important public building. Who could imagine having a large city without at least one library? That would be outrageous. In addition, there are libraries in schools and in universities.  Another thought of mine is: How will technology affect libraries? Soon, electronic books are likely to become more popular. Will libraries lose their importance? Or is there something that will keep libraries from becoming "extinct"? I hope to learn all this and more throughout the course of this project. I also hope to learn how I can help the community.

=Profile = Most people prepare for their jobs before starting them, but not all. When asked when she had decided to become a librarian, Naava Livne answered that she never had – it just happened. Born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, to Chana and Aharon Greenberg, Naava grew up the oldest of four children. She almost always liked reading. According to her, she started reading relatively late, but then never stopped. She made aliyah to in 1977, where she worked in vineyards. Her first library job was completely voluntary: Once a week, she would bring books from nearby libraries and run a small library for the children in her neighborhood in Beit Yatir. During the first intifadah (1987-1991), there was a search for a woman who would run a library in the area where Naava lived. There was only one "qualification" for the job: the willingness to travel to the settlements in the area, despite the possible dangers. Out of the two woman in her community who offered to take the job, it was Naava who was willing to take the risk, and therefore it was her who became the librarian in part of the South Hebron Area.Naava Livne has since then moved into her career as librarian. She took a course at Mikhlelet David Yalin and has become the most prominent librarian in Efrat. She has seven children, the youngest of who is thirteen years old.Naava Livne's favorite books was once Johanna Spyri's Heidi, but by now she has read so many books that she cannot pick one. Outside of the library, Naava Livne still enjoys working in her garden. Naava Livne believes that libraries are helpful to communities in more than one way. In communities where the socio-economic level is rat her low, in addition to offering free books to people that do not necessarily own books, the libraries also offer a warm place to spend the day. Libraries also are a place where parents can hang out with their children and take a break from their house. Also, in a very American community such as Efrat, libraries help children learn both English and Hebrew by offering a large range of books in either language. As time goes by and technology takes over, books are likely to lose their place in favor of electronic devices. Naava is aware of the effects this might happen, but she is not too worried about it. For one, it will take the Orthodox community a longer time than other communities to part from books, because of the need for a solution for electronic devices on Shabbos. Moreover, libraries are already adapting to technology, and some libraries offer electronic books for borrowing using electronic book-reading devices. In addition to books, the Efrat library offers a range of activities, mostly for children. Once again, there are activities in both English and Hebrew. According to Naava, one of the most important roles of the Efrat library is to help English speakers learn Hebrew and to assist Hebrew speakers learning English.  Naava Livne's favorite quote is: "It is not up to you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it." (Pirkei Avot 2, 16) Naava's plans for the library cover a wide range – from expanding the building to buying more movies for people to borrow. She believes that the greatest accomplishment libraries in Israel have made is that they are all free, and so open to everyone. We have much to learn from this figure about the ways to help our community, despite the risks in might involve, as well as the eyes to see an opportunity to help others and jump on it.

= **Background Research** = //What role do libraries play helping societies with economical difficulties?//  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">All over the world, people suffer from poverty. There are many ways to deal with poverty, but there is no way to deny its existence. One way to assist people with economical difficulties is to give them access to books. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Poverty often hurts the educational system. Children from poor houses tend to do badly in school, and, as a result of their having a bad education, they can not do as well as others in life afterwards. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Access to books seriously improves children's education. According to one study, young people in homes with 500 books stay in school for an average of three years longer than children from bookless houses. (Krasen, 2) Another study shows that while in fourth grade, library access has a very small impact on English language test scores, by eleventh grade the impact of access to libraries contributes 19% of the factors which impact such tests.(4) A PIRLS study shows that while library access was a very strong factor in test scores, large amounts of time devoted to reading instruction tend to lower the average score.(5) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stephen Krashen's conclusion from such studies brought in his article "Protecting Students Against the Effects of Poverty: Libraries" is that "providing access to books can, to at least some extent, make up for the effects of poverty on reading." (6) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">  <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">The effect of libraries is known, and used in order to help children have a way out of poverty, and it is a tool used to minimize the negative consequences of economical difficulties. The Small Library Campaign, for instance, starts small libraries in underprivileged communities in Africa where children to do not have basic tools for education. The goal is to present these children with educational and entertainment opportunities. The libraries have books as well as computers. The campaign takes many steps to minimize the costs of starting these libraries. Also, they take steps to draw children to the libraries, such as giving out little bags of rice. They want to make sure the children have a good connection with books. (Cerralbo, 1) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dho Young-shin, who started this campaign, explains that the poor have to change their own mentality and attitude, and the only way to reach this goal is through education. (1) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Libraries do not only provide books. An article in the Consumerist lists seven ways a public library can help a person during a bad economy. The list includes: a large range of free books, the option to borrow movies for a minimal price, activities for children of all ages, and free blood pressure screenings and programs, as well as a good way to meet people or to find a job. (Marco, 1) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Naava Livne, the librarian in the Efrat Public Library, told me again and again when I interviewed her that one of the libraries' most important goal is to assist the lower layer of the financial world, by being both a place where they have access to books and a warm building where people of all ages can be relaxed and entertained. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">The libraries' assistance to people with financial difficulties is not just a dream. According to Alexander Carey in an article in the Consumerist, many people are registering for library cards as they realize that it makes no sense to spend money at bookstores when you can go to a library for free. In his words: " Why waste precious cash at Borders and Barnes & Noble when you can go to the library for free?" (1) <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; unicode-bidi: embed;">We have much to learn from all of those people struggling to offer not just money, but also educational help and entertainment for the poor. Everyone can help those in need of help, and there are many ways of doing so. We must all search for our own way to help our community. In addition, this underlines the importance of books. Don't underestimate books or libraries! They are extremely valuable on more than one level. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">**Personal connection** = <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> My personal connection includes two elements, which may seem completely unconnected. The first element is a story which I wrote. The second element is a group of photos of my friends and family. They are brought together in a "book format". The story I wrote is a conversation held between two characters, a young girl and her mother, while the background of the story are dinner preparations in the kitchen. The daughter has decided that she would like to save the world. Her mother appears to be a bit cynical, as she throws hard questions at the young girl and uses her pauses to give her instructions about setting the table. However, in the end, the mother tells her daughter, in words that are almost a cliché, that the way to saving the world begins with the smallest thing – the happiness that a daughter gives her mother. The photos underneath the text of the story are photos from my world, of happy people in all sorts of cheerful backgrounds, be it at home, on an outing, or even at school. I also included a few quotes related to "happiness". Through the course of my project, I interviewed Naava Livne, the librarian in Efrat, and researched libraries and the difference that they can make on a person's life. A book and a warm place to read it can bring so much happiness in a person's life. There is no doubt that libraries add a heap of happiness into many people's lives. All of the mentioned above share something in common: a simple happiness. That, I believe, although it does indeed sound like a sentence from a folktale with a very clear message, is the way to save, or at least, begin a small change in the world. You don't have to do something huge in order to add good to the world. You just have to make a person smile, and already you have made the world a better place, even if the difference that you made seems microscopic. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">

=<span style="color: #f09024; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">**Reflection** = <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">Let's start with something really basic. Did I enjoy this project? My options are yes, no, or so-so. Pick the option which you feel to be the most fitting: <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; unicode-bidi: embed;">a) Yes – I enjoyed the project because it forced me to think about things I do not think about every single day, such as the importance of public libraries. I enjoyed the personal connection, which took a lot of thought and was a lot of fun to make. b) No – I did not enjoy the project because it took a lot of time. Also, I do not like interviewing people, and I had a few problems in regards to the interview, such as loosing the recorded the recorded interview. In addition, I did not enjoy making a bibliography! c) So-so – There were parts of the project which I enjoyed, and parts I did not. I really enjoyed the background research, which was extraordinarily interesting, and featured a topic that I have never thought about before. I enjoyed more technical parts (rationale, bibliography) less. I had a few problems which put a damper on my experience surrounding the interview for the profile, but I was satisfied with what I ended up with. <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">Now for our next question: In what ways would I like to change the project? The options for answering are nothing, everything, or a few small details. <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; unicode-bidi: embed;">a) Nothing – I enjoyed the project so much that I think it is just perfect! I cannot even imagine a single change that can be made. b) Everything – I appreciate all the hard work that went into organizing this project, but I really think that you should dump it and start from scratch. c) A few small details – For one thing, I think that the project could be done faster, but I am not sure that the entire class would agree with this statement. I do think that it was a good idea to merge the creative and literary connections. I am sure that there are small improvements that can be made to improve the experience of doing the project, but I am having trouble thinking of any specific ideas. <span style="direction: ltr; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">Anyhow, thanks for everything. I hope you enjoy reading my projects and the rest of the projects as well. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">

=<span style="color: #f24594; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">**Works Cited** = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carey, Alexander. //"The Poverty-Stricken Masses Are Flocking To Libraries", The Consumerist.// 11 January, 2009<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">﻿ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Web. 7 February, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cerralbo, Yoav. "Eliminating Poverty Through Education", The Korea ﻿ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">﻿ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">﻿ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Herald. 6 February, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Web. 7 February, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Krashen, Stephen. //"Protecting Students Against the Effects of Poverty: Libraries", Stephen D Krashen//. Web. 7 February, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Livne, Naava. Efrat Public Library. Yael Berman, 16 January 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Interview. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marco, Meg. //"7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy", The Consumerist.// 22 July, 2008<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Web. 7 February, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mason, Tom. //“Quote of the Day: Barnes and Noble”, Comix 411.// 27 January, 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Web (photo). 17 February 2011<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">﻿.

=<span style="color: #75dde1; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px;">**Links** = <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"> http://consumerist.com/2009/01/the-poverty-stricken-masses-are-flocking-to-libraries.html <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"> http://consumerist.com/2008/07/7-ways-your-public-library-can-help-you-during-a-bad-economy.html <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"> http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/protecting_students.pdf <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">@http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110206000297