The Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for all Foundation (HJH Foundation) has become a potent catalyst for the development of lending libraries and mobile lending library services in Nicaragua and throughout Central America. With its outreach emphasis on collaboration and global sustainability, the HJH Foundation has provided access to information, seed collections of books, training programs and a simple model for sustainable lending.

Lending books is a foreign concept in many areas of Nicaragua and throughout all of Central America. Collaboration with our “Library In A Box” recipients has helped grow the acceptance and knowledge of this type of education service. Together we can work to make lending libraries a common and well known place to enhance reading abilities.

Library in a Box Recipient Program

When we established the successful lending system for the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca and Mobile Project, other groups and individuals reached out to us to learn how to replicate our system. Since 2001, the HJH Foundation has offered the Library in a Box Recipient Program to help other groups and organizations open their own lending libraries in Central America. See Collaborating Libraries for a list of most of the libraries participating in the Library in a Box program.  The practice of lending books is uncommon in many areas of Nicaragua and other countries throughout Central America. Together, we are working to make lending libraries a common practice and provide defined spaces that promote literacy throughout Central America.

Since the program’s initiation, we have helped launch over 65 lending libraries in Central America including projects in Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and of course,  Nicaragua. Service groups, church organizations, Peace Corp workers, and other individuals and groups have created thriving libraries with the help of this starter kit.   

The Library in a Box is a sustainable model for starting a small lending library.  It includes a kit with the resources needed to set up a fully functioning, basic lending library that can be expanded and adapted to most projects. It contains a seed collection of books and a simple system for lending (circulating) the books to people in the local community. The HJH Foundation and SJDS Biblioteca staff offer mentoring, training sessions, collaboration, and ongoing support for lending library projects initiated through this program. 

The Library in a Box lending system can be purchased for $350 USD and requires an application. For more information and a kit description see Library In A Box Recipient Program page.   If you have any questions about the program, please reachout to our administrator [email protected].

Seven Aspects of Sustainability

Essential to initiating any new library program is the awareness of how to maintain sustainability. Over the years our Director, Jane Mirandette, has participated in several information sessions on creating a sustainable lending library in developing nations. The 7 Aspects of Sustainability document authored by Jane explores how community advancement is linked to strong leadership development, global awareness, educational empowerment, economic vitality, social equality, and environmental awareness. We believe that if even one of these aspects is missing from a project then it will lack the long term stability that is needed for success.
See the Seven Aspects of Sustainability page for more information.