– Eleni, how did Library4all start?
– For 32 years, I have been a kindergarten teacher at the Moraitis School in Athens, and many times parents used to come asking if I knew a school they could give books to that they did not need any more. So, in the summer of 2013, we, five friends, started thinking about doing something with these books. My cousin, who lives in the USA, during a conversation mentioned Susan Robbins, the founder of Project Cicero, an action that does something similar in New York, and suggested that we got in touch. Indeed, Susan responded immediately and gave us all the information and the know-how we needed. She collects books from private New York schools, once a year at a hotel where she is given some space. There is also some collaboration with Amazon, with a range of recommended books, from which you can choose if you want to offer books but you do not have yours. Once all the books are gathered, the teachers and kindergarten teachers of the underprivileged schools in New York make an appointment and go with their suitcases to get books. After learning about all of the above, we also decided we wanted to do a similar action, which we called bookwave. Because our brand name is Library4all, which means that we are accessible to all, we wanted to work with an entity that meets this specification. The Benaki Museum immediately embraced our efforts and gave us a room in its building in Piraeus Avenue. The Bodossaki Foundation was one of our first supporters, covering some of our expenses.
– How did you start collecting books?
– Under our encouragement, the Ministry of Education made a post on their site about our action and so we started receiving emails from schools that were asking for books. Then we went to private schools, which trusted us because they realized it was something serious and not ephemeral. We managed to collect the first books at the Benaki Museum, and the selection was made with friends of Library4all and volunteers of the Hellenic Children’s Museum. Eventually, we gathered so many books that we left some aside for other organizations as well. Also, as many books were not in good shape, we gave them to a person for recycling, who donated the money he earned to a Parents’ Association so they could buy books. Basically, there was a chain of good deeds, which did not stop there.
– So what else has happened?
– Then an advertising company offered us a TV commercial for free. They made us a great video clip, which was played on all TV channels and in cinemas, but this had a result we had not predicted: Library4all’s message reached every corner of Greece and applications from schools in the region began to arrive. So we decided to support schools in the region throughout the year, and every February to do the bookwave at the Benaki Museum. This year, the sixth one was held. In 2013 we started with 100 books and to date we have sent about 72,000 to schools and 100,000 to other organizations. The response has been so great that in the last few years we have been giving books in other languages as well, to refugee organizations.
– How do you choose the material?
– Because I am a teacher, I make a very strict choice. I want the books that go to a school to be in perfect condition. If a puzzle piece or the CD is missing from a book, we will not include it in the shipment. In case they have been drawn in or torn, it is not even a matter for discussion, they go straight for recycling. We offer books that we would like to have in our library too. The children who receive them are not second class.
– Do you think a book can change something in a child’s life?
– Of course. I believe that a child can be inspired to read just by having the experience of smelling and holding a book. But it is very important that we let the children themselves choose the book they want to read. I’m not in favour of “you have to read” or “how many books you read”. Reading is pleasure.
– What is your favourite book?
– “The Little Tailor of the Words” by Antonis Papatheodoulou, illustrated by Iris Samartzis, it speaks of the power of words. It describes a little tailor who uses words instead of threads. Depending on how warm what he wanted to make was going to be, the words he used matched. Because the most important thing is human relations and words are the ones that warm us, ultimately.
– Should I presume you have liked reading since you were a child?
– I was a child who did not read much. I liked more to deal with nature and to create thing with my hands.
– In spite of that, you have also written books.
– Most books I have written are in collaboration with museums. The latest, “One Bear Once,” is in collaboration with the Benaki Toy Museum. When I finished my studies in Athens, I continued in Boston, where I specialized in museum education – this is the reason why I focus on these kinds of books.
– What did you like in the USA that Greece does not have?
– That they trust you, they give you space, and in case you make a mistake they are next to you to correct you. They see the mistake as part of the evolution, so they are not afraid of the evaluation. Also, people are very open to collaborations. However, I think things are starting to change here. One of the positive effects of the crisis is that the entities began to collaborate, people came closer together and slowly the fabric of society started to change.
– Which are the elements of a good collaboration?
– The trust, the support and the help that we receive generously from Athinaiki Transportation. It is one of the largest transport companies in Greece, and has undertaken to transport the books to the door of each school, free of charge. Without their support, we could not send books to so many schools. The truth is that volunteering needs companionships – because you cannot do it all by yourself – and it is a way of sharing life through common experiences. I was fortunate to grow up in a closely knit family, with values and showing respect to others. Also, as a member of the Greek Guiding Association, I learned in practice what the word “giving” means and I have not forgotten that. Because “Once A Guide, Always Guide”.
