Bookworm in Taleigao is a charitable trust managed by trustees Dr Lucio Fernandes, Dr Fernando Noronha and Dagmar Peres da Silva that supports reading and spreads the love for books. It has three major areas of focus – the Library, Libraries in Schools and the Mobile Outreach Program. The library and resource centre is stocked with one of India’s best curated collection of books for children. The Libraries in Schools program supports reading and literacy promotion activities within the school system, while the Mobile Outreach Program is their community outreach program which takes the whole library experience to underprivileged communities.
The working team is led by Director Sujata Noronha, a literacy educator with extensive experience in literacy instruction and children’s literature. A team of professional educators, technologists, psychologists, administrative assistants and a host of volunteers make up the Bookworm family. Sujata says, “ In an age where the media consistently mourns the decline of print, the shutting down of book stores, the abysmal rates of literacy and the absence of eagerness to learn about the world around us, bookworms are reading and read stories and shared books with thousands of children every year for the past 10 years. Bookworm having a tenth birthday is a simple testament to the spirit of reading and enquiry that will not die if books and stories are shared with passion and commitment.” The Bookworm Library has now expanded to keep books for adults as well, believing that reading is an important activity across all ages. Bookworm, as part of its tenth anniversary celebrations, held a grand opening of its newly created mature readers’ section on October 30, 2015.