On to the Next Step

Trust me there will be pictures, just not today. I am so happy to report that one aspect or phase of the project has been completed. I received a phone call on Thursday at school informing me that the order of texts and dictionaries had arrived at the shop in Moshi. The academic master spent a part of the morning on Friday arranging to check the contents and deliver the order to the school. All of the items had been shipped as ordered except the Oxford English Dictionaries. They will be coming shortly, I am told. I was elated at the speed in which the order was filled. I had expected it to take longer especially considering that the academic master had placed a previous order and those items had not come in yet. I wasn't going to quibble over small details. The important issue was that the books had arrived.
The academic master arranged to have the materials delivered to the school Friday afternoon. What a great sight as each set of books was neatly arranged in the box.
We returned Saturday morning to begin the process of stamping all of the books with the school's information which requires numerous stamps to adequately indicate ownership. A couple of twelth grade students were chosen to assist me. Within an hour or two all of the books had been stamped and numbered. They were logged in the school register. All that remains to be done is to reinforce the books' binding with clear tape to increase the longevity of each book. That will be done on Monday.
My diligent assistants then shelved the books in the headmaster's office(principal). The books will be available for use within the next few days. Individual subject teachers will be responsible for assigning each text. At the end of the term or component of study, the student will return the text. A penalty is levied against the student if the book is lost or damaged during the term.
Students must cover the text with a paper indicating their name, subject, school, and class, so as not to damage the book. The paper is removed at the end of the term. Students will now be able to read their texts independently during their assigned study periods at the end of the day or during their free time.
There is more good news. The director has given his permission to repaint the room set aside for the library. The fundi(carpenter) will begin constructing the shelves in the very near future.