A literacy project, like almost everything else in the world, depends heavily on the people involved. With the Village Librarian program, we begin by looking for the right person. We talk with the village headman and other leaders to select one individual to make books available in that village. (We've previously used the title Junior Librarians, but there is a full spectrum of ages, so we've changed to this term.) We begin by providing that individual with 30 varied books, for all ages, along with suggestions about how to make them available.

They allow other villagers to read these books, either at the librarian's home (typically there is an outside or semi-public area available), or to borrow them. We provide a notebook to record checkouts.

In August 2008, we set up 8 Village Librarians in one area. Twice in the first year, we've brought them together for a day or two to discuss what they're doing, what problems they've had. They have a chance to learn from what others have done, and to have some fun. We eat in a simple restaurant, typically the first time they've ever done so; and do a little sight-seeing; as well as getting business done. They leave with some fresh energy and ideas, as well as some new books.

A steady stream of new books seems crucial to the success of the program, so we deliberately begin with only a portion of what we have available. At least 3 times a year we will provide some new titles. Many of these will be our own titles; others come from small publishers that are appearing in Vientiane, but which have no reach beyond Vientiane. This gives both moral and financial encouragement to such publishers.

Current experience:

Our first eight Village Librarians were set up in August, 2008. We set up 24 more in the end of the year. Evaluations we've done so far are encouraging. Many have had 30 to 100 book checkouts in a single month. In a few villages, the librarian hasn't succeeded in letting everyone know what is available, or hasn't made it available in a way that encourages people to stop by and look at the books. As a next step, we plan to hold a half- or full-day festival to get each library started, creating immediate excitement and awareness.

The Village Librarians also provide valuable feedback about what books are most popular, and why. A few examples:

* The Grasshopper War, a collection of traditional folktales, was very popular. We already knew that, and have already reprinted another such collection, The Cat That Meditated.

* Our first set of three Sherlock Holmes stories (The Red-Headed Club) was also mentioned. It's one of the few books available from us, or anyone else, that provides enjoyable, relaxing reading for adults and young adults. We already knew this book was popular with young people in Luang Prabang, but hadn't known yet if villagers would enjoy it. The second book in that series will soon be ready for press.

* Another book that was often mentioned as being in demand was Baby Care, which had Hmong language alongside the Lao. Several Junior Librarians explicitly asked for more books which, like this one, offered practical advice that would improve the quality of life for people, such as books about better agricultural techniques. We're working on those, too, as well as more books about health.