Mission
MISSION: Dedicated to re-establishing a public library on Vieques as a community resource for lifelong learning.
About Vieques Reads! / Vieques Leemos!
Vieques Reads! / Vieques Leemos! is a grassroots organization comprised of individuals who love books and libraries. We are structured as a non-profit organization (and will be using Community Through Colors Inc. as our 501(c)(3) fiduciary agent so that donations can be fully tax deductible to the extent of the law.) Our central mission is to bring about positive change on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico through the achievement of two important and related goals:
Our first goal is to provide developmentally appropriate books, reading materials, and literature, in both Spanish and English, for children and young adults in Vieques, eventually growing a collection numbering into the thousands. Our second goal, and far more long-term than the first, is to re-establish a public library that will serve the residents of Vieques as a resource for lifelong learning, with books, technology, and computer resources that are available to the community free of charge.
In many places across the world, libraries are reinventing themselves as content becomes more accessible online and their role becomes less about housing books and magazines and more about connecting learners and constructing knowledge. Printed books still play a critical role in supporting learners, especially on an island with limited connectivity and no public library, but digital technologies offer additional pathways to learning and content acquisition.
We realize that in the future our students, teachers and community members will no longer need a library simply for access. Instead, they will require a place that encourages participatory learning and allows for co-construction of understanding from a variety of sources. In other words, instead of being an archive, our future library will become a learning commons – a hub of learning – for our children, youth, and community that will encourage residents and visitors to collaborate, communicate, and share. In short, with support from interested volunteers and donors, we intend to promote a love of reading by combining physical and digital resources on the island of Vieques.
For now, building a collection is the first step in our journey, and we invite you to stay tuned to these pages as we work together toward these two parallel, and distinctly challenging, goals!