A group of teachers from the Saint Augustine High School of the Augustinian Recollects in Valladolid have launched a bold and far-reaching project: the restoration of a physical library within the school, in a different location than the old one. They explain the reason for their initiative as follows:
“We were lucky to have libraries when we were students, a real refuge when you couldn’t find your place in the playground, a place to connect with people who shared your interests. A library has a bit of that Augustinian value where everyone is welcome and has their place.”
To encourage reading, a welcoming space has been created, filled with engaging books. In this age of immediacy and constant stimulation, this library offers a physical place to pause, immerse oneself in stories and adventures, and give free rein to the imagination.
The new library seeks to be a worthy successor to the old one and has also served to pay homage to the Augustinian Recollect religious Francisco Javier Vega (Arnedo, La Rioja, Spain, 1940), who was once faithfully in charge and manager of the library of the educational center:
“We aspire to honor their valuable work with this new reading and study space,” say the project’s promoters. At the inauguration, as a gesture of gratitude, two honorary library cards were presented, one to Saint Augustine and the other to Friar Javier, who collected a large number of volumes and inspired the entire educational community with a love of books.
Many of the volumes in the new library belong to the old one, which had an image of immensity and solemnity, with books of all kinds, endless shelves and a silence that imposed itself; the new one is of a different nature: an open space, with plenty of light, selected books and warm colors; in short, welcoming and humble.
The selection is based on enjoyable and engaging works for today’s readers, books they’ve heard about before, that will motivate them to start reading and discuss with their friends. It will also serve to continue a book club that began last year.
The new library will gradually open up to incorporate new activities, as the space lends itself to it: “we have verified that it has good acoustics and that live music accompanies new readers very well.”
During the inauguration, it was recalled that when the Monastery of Saint Augustine was sacked by the Vandals, almost everything was destroyed except the books. “Reading has the power to make you live a thousand lives in one. The more you read, the more you live, and it is precisely this experience that leads you to points of view you would never otherwise consider.”
Critical thinking is a scarce and denigrated commodity today, especially among teenagers: some because they seek to fit in; others because they follow the opinions of those they consider leaders without questioning anything; still others because they allow these influencers to guide their lives… “Critical thinking is very important; the library won’t be a miracle solution, but it will reach some people, and that’s enough for us.” This is where encountering difference and the desire to protect the historical repository of knowledge come into play.
The Augustinian Recollect Rafael Gutiérrez created the book illustrations that decorate the entrance. He chose essential and recognizable books so that students would feel a connection to them, making them feel welcome and perhaps even tempted to enter.
Now begins the stage in which students will become familiar with the collection of works, visiting the library frequently and, hopefully, the book collection can be expanded, as the students themselves are already requesting books that they miss.
