Restorative reading

As a reading mediator, every learning experience enriches my work and my connection with books and their readers. On Thursday, 10th July, I had the opportunity to participate in the virtual discussion "Restorative Reading," facilitated by renowned librarian Lina Pulgarín Mejía, a meeting geared towards librarians from the Network of Rural Libraries in Educational Institutions (BRIE).

It was a deeply valuable space, where Lina shared her reflections on the power of reading to live, heal, think, and converse. Her words resonated with me, especially when she recounted her experience as a reading mediator in hospitals, accompanying patients in critical condition through stories. Her work is a reminder of how books can be comfort, companionship, and a bridge to difficult emotions.

The most moving moment came when she read us the story "The Duck and Death" by Wolf Erlbruch, a tender and profound narrative that addresses death from a serene and humane perspective. This reading reinforced my conviction that stories help us understand the incomprehensible and navigate complex emotions.

I am grateful to the Cajamarca Rural Library Network for organising these spaces for training and dialogue, which nourish our work as reading mediators in rural and community libraries. I will continue to bring these lessons to my work, convinced that books not only inform, but also repair, accompany and transform.

Haydee Limascca Mejía, BA