Centro Melodía’s Innovative Library
 

The Centro Cultural Melodía is an initiative of the Melodía Association for the Promotion of Education and Culture, a private, non-profit entity created in June of 2001.

Among the innovations that the Center has brought to the community of Villa Hayes is the opening of the first free-access public library, in Villa Hayes and in all of the Lower Chaco.  This fact constitutes one of the most important elements of cultural transformation in the community.

The library was built and equipped thanks to the collaboration of individuals, organizations and institutions, both public and private, who were encouraged by the possibility of forming critical thought among the users, and were able to recognize the opportunity represented by the library to construct knowledge in the community’s children, youth and adults.

The total population served by the library and the Centro Cultural Melodía is between 25,000 and 50,000 people.

The library’s activities, and the services that it offers, include: reference and consultation services; book loans; use of computers and consultation via Internet; training in computer use; access to e-learning; and workshops to train Reading Motivators from among teachers and volunteers as a strategy to foster comprehensive reading activities.

Average number of Users per day:         36

Average number of Users per year: 11,880

The library has 2000 volumes of books and encyclopedias, and over 900 magazines on diverse topics.  It also has 150 audiovisual materials (video cassettes, DVDs, audio cassettes, and posters).

The library has a Manager, Mrs. Mercedes L. Rojas, and five half-time assistants.  There are also four youth who collaborate as volunteers, one of whom won the 2004 National Nature Story Prize.

The Melodía Library has recently received an important Donation from the International Rotary Foundation, consisting of books, encyclopedias, and equipment with a total value of US$ 12,850.  This puts Melodía’s library on the way to becoming the first Information and Resources Center in the region. 

It can also count on technical support from the university extension service at the National University of Asuncion’s Polytechnic Faculty through the services of Victor Manuel Ferreira. 

Some facts about the Melodía Library:
 1.     24-hour connectivity through Telesurf’s wireless broadband service, free for the Center’s users;

2.     Training Services in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs);

3.     Use of the Internet. 

4.     Job searches, long-distance studies, rudiments of information technology, etc.;

 5.     Music reading, foreign language study; 

6.     Networking; and 

7.     Communication via Internet with family members who have emigrated.

The library’s hours are: Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and Sundays and Holidays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.