Creating a library for a Mexican village

She came to the United States in 1985 as an illegal immigrant from El Roble, a village 30 minutes outside Mazatlán, Mexico. Fast-forward 17 years, and she's a mother of two in her second year of law school at the University of Washington, with a degree in Spanish and anthropology already under her belt from the same school.


	Marlene Castaneda, right, describes to Karen Kinney the building that will become the first library in rural El Roble, Mexico, as the women try to raise money for the project. Dan DeLong / Seattle Post-Intelligencer Click for larger photo

But she hasn't forgotten about El Roble -- a poor, primarily agricultural village with very few books and other academic resources.

"At first, I thought about just building a library in the school," said Castaneda, 31, whose mother used to be a teacher there.

"But then I got the idea in my head -- why not build a library for everyone in the town? Why not make it so that everyone, not just students, can go?"

Although Castaneda has been thinking about the library for about seven years, it's only been in the past year that she and her neighbor, Karen Kinney, have put the wheels in motion.

Kinney, who also is involved with the Columbia City Revitalization Committee, put up a stand at the weekly Columbia City rummage sale yesterday to start raising money for the Bibliotecas Rurales para Mexico.

The stall looks like a modest start, but bigger steps already have been taken. A few months ago, Castaneda bought an old building on a former sugar cane plantation in El Roble from Antonio Haas, a famous Mexican author, for about $30,000.

"The price was $100,000, but when he found out what I wanted to do with it ... he was very enthusiastic," said Castaneda.

She has already started collecting Spanish books and has applied for a non-profit license.

"Once we get that, we can start collecting donations," said Castaneda, who just returned from a three-week trip to the area. She surveyed what El Roble residents thought of getting a library, and was both shocked and delighted by the results.

"Some people didn't even know what a library was. ... They thought they had to rent the books," said Castaneda, adding that once they found out the books were free, they were very supportive and excited.

She said the need for books in El Roble is painfully clear, even for schools.

"In elementary school, books are provided free. But in middle school and high school, the parents have to buy them. And that's when the marks go down or the kids stop going to school," said Castaneda, "because the parents just don't have the money to buy books."

Students who stay in school try to borrow books from the children in wealthier families.

Castaneda plans on buying three sets of texts for each school year, as well as two computers, for the library.

She said she hopes the library will open next year, but Castaneda is already looking well beyond then.

"This is just the start. ... We're going to be opening more rural libraries in Mexico."

P-I reporter D. Parvaz can be reached at 206-448-8095 or dparvaz@seattlepi.com

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