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Kilili donates books to the Manta library
The library of Saipan Southern High School received a donation of 15 boxes of books from Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan, center, last April 19. (Contributed Photo)
As part of the monthlong celebration of School Library Month, the library of Saipan Southern High School received a donation of 15 boxes of books from Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) last April 19. The books were made available from the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program in Washington, D.C.
Each of the donated books has the following inscription: “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”—Charles W. Eliot
The books could not have come at a better time. The current size of the Mantas Rays’ library collection is approximately 2,919 titles for all genres. However, only 914 of those titles belong to the fiction collection; at this library, fiction books circulate 10 times more often than non-fiction titles. Overall, Sablan’s donation supplants an already meager library collection that is barely enough to meet the needs, let alone stimulate the imaginations of the school’s 800 students.
The donation offers a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and reference materials, with copyright dates of no more than one or two years from release date. Some of the titles were advanced proofs of novels, many of which have attractive covers designed to effectively lure readers. The new books are a welcome addition and should be enough to engage the most avid of readers.
The most in-demand titles for young adult readers at Saipan Southern High School include mangas (anime), graphic novels, contemporary series, fantasy, dystopian fiction, steampunk, and science fiction.
At this time, the school library is open to community donations, including individual, corporate, and alumni donations. For more information or to make a donation, call the school at 664-4002 or email rosalyn.ajoste@cnmipss.org. (PR)
