PLA Blog

John Wood, author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, officially opened the Public Library Association National Conference with a very inspiring presentation about his Room to Read organization, which is building schools and libraries in Asia and Africa. If he writes as well as he speaks, his book should be a very inspiring read. His message is very similar to that of Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, but it sounds like he is working on a grander scale.

Wood thinks that there is a basic right for every child on our planet to learn to read. He believes that if every child received a good education, our world would change drastically for the better. The dichotomy of haves and have-nots at present is shameful and must be addressed:

• 110 million school age children are not in school.
• 800 million people can not read.
• Two thirds of the people in both of these groups are girls or women.

Wood became involved accidentally. When on a hiking vacation in Nepal, he promised to buy books for an impoverished rural school. When the local leader was skeptical that Wood would actually return (for many promises are made by hikers and tourists but then broken), he vowed to bring the books back himself. When he personally handed out the books and saw the looks on the students’ faces, he decided to quit Microsoft and build schools and libraries. After the emotional rush, he sat down and devised a business plan.

Room to Read has a seven point plan, which you will find in his book. The most interest part of the plan is that paying for buildings and books is not enough. Local commitment must be earned, local sweat must go into the building. Teachers and librarians must be trained. Wood hopes that his organization will have trained 40,000 librarians by the year 2020, much by the “paying forward” method of passing on the skills.

Many of the countries into which Room to Read has gone had no children’s book publishers, so there were no local language materials. The organization has commissioned local authors and artists to create appropriate works, which it publishes in brightly colored books. Wood is particularly proud of this because many advisers said it was not possible. So far, 250 titles have been published and there will be another 100 this year.

Wood says his organization has already helped 1.7 million children and is well on its way to educating 10 million by 2020. The dream is big. Some day, if this all works, Wood hopes to be know as Andrew Carnegie with a Yak.

Acclaimed comedian Paula Poundstone will present the keynote address at the Closing Session of PLA’s 12th National Conference on March 29 at 11:45am in Minneapolis. Poundstone is the author of There’s Nothing in this Book I Meant to Say, as well as a regular guest panelist on National Public Radio’s news quiz show Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me.

She makes frequent appearances on To Tell The Truth and A Prairie Home Companion, and recently starred in her own stand-up special on BRAVO, Paula Poundstone: Look What The Cat Dragged In. Poundstone holds the distinction of being the first woman to perform at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and was recently named spokesperson for Friends of Libraries, U.S.A. (FOLUSA).

Due to scheduling conflicts, Kevin Nealon will not appear at the closing session.