I Didn’t Have A Library In Burundi. In Connecticut, The Library Is My Refuge ▬ Hartford Courant

I Didn’t Have A Library In Burundi. In Connecticut, The Library Is My Refuge

@NHFPL

Hartford Courant: 11.22.2020 by Ndengo Mwilelo

I grew up in Burundi; I had no public library. My school did not have a library, either. Textbooks used in classrooms were given by the teachers for in-class use only. We were punished if we ruined them. I was reprimanded once for folding textbook pages. The teacher hit me with a wooden stick and asked my parents to report to school.

I first heard the word “public library” when I moved to New Haven seven years ago. In the summer of 2013, a friend told my family that we were eligible for a free library card. I did not know public libraries existed. The day I first entered the library, it was like entering the arena of possibilities. That library opened the doors to my literacy world.

Here, public libraries are places with endless books and all kinds of resources. Public libraries are essential and safe environments for people to gather, charge devices, get books, work on a computer, or use the printer. They even hold classes. Because of COVID-19, some classes have been suspended, and others are online. However, there are normally English and other literacy classes in many libraries.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 7

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. old

(Sixth and Seventh graders)