Lobsang Bookstore builds literary awareness in rural communities

The main aim of Lobsang Bookstore is to assist school children in rural areas and kick-start good reading habits in the community. The bookstore operates very much like a community library, but in addition buying books, you can also borrow them. With more than 7,000 titles available for borrowing, the bookstore is providing local youngsters with a treasure trove of reading resources.

Manager Hao He-li said (郝荷麗): “Rural areas aren’t short of storybooks, but of people to guide and accompany children.” In collaboration with National Chung Hsing University, books are taken to rural mountain communities, where volunteer college students accompany the kids and provide concrete assistance, rather than merely throwing resources into the area with no comprehensive strategy.

In addition to working with National Chung Hsing University, Lobsang Bookstore regularly visits the children’s wards in local hospitals, taking picture books for sick kids to read. Manager Hao He-li believes that contact with literature from an early age not only cultivates children and develops their ability to think logically but is also a solution to the disparity between rural and urban education.

以下為中文對照

以幫助偏鄉學童及帶動社區閱讀風氣為出發點，羅布森書蟲房的經營模式就像社區圖書館，販書也借書，可供借閱的書籍高達七千多冊，讓偏鄉學童可以擁有豐富的閱讀資源。

店長郝荷麗說： 「偏鄉學童缺少的不是故事書，而是導讀、伴讀的人。」與中興大學合作，將書藉載到山上與偏鄉學童分享，透過大學生志工的陪讀，給予孩童實質幫助，而非治標性的注入閱讀資源。

羅布森書蟲房除了與大學合作，也自發性的定期至兒童病房，為病童做繪本閱讀。店長郝荷麗認為從小接觸文字，有助於孩童發展邏輯思考能力和培養內涵，也是改善教育城鄉差距的解決之道。