Villa College QI Library celebrated Library Day on 12th July 2023, Wednesday.

The theme of the day was well communicated via the atmosphere created in the library. The grand touch of Maldivian tradition and culture were well presented and beautifully blended into their activities as well.

The 'Library Day 2023' banner itself was decorated in lacquer work and the two photo stands depicted the traditional attire of Maldivian life. One was of a Maldivian woman dressed in a bright red 'Dhivehi Libaas' (traditional dress with crafty embroidery) and a 'Black kandiki', (traditional skirt) and carrying a 'Bandiya' (a vessel used to carry water in the past). The second stand was of a man wearing a traditional colourful 'Feyli' (local sarong) posing with a traditional 'Beru' (a local drum used as the lead instrument in traditional music of ‘Boduberu’).These stands allowed students and staff to immerse in the rich culture of Maldives and appreciate the diversity in our heritage.

'Fun craft’ station and the variety of crafts made from coconut palm leaves, hanging from the circulation counter were some of the highlights of the day. With the help of videos and step-by-step imagery, participants got to test their creative skills by making crafts such as birds, baskets, stars, and fishes using coconut palm leaves. There was excitement and joy as participants tried to experiment with craft making in the traditional way.

Other activities included a Jenga station, puzzle making, black out poetry making and UNO (a card game). Students and staff also got to experience games created by library staff. The ‘Dark Room Game’ entailed a race against time to locate nine cut-out pieces of paper from inside a room and sweets & lollipops that hung from the ceiling. A sense of how it is to work as a librarian was infused in the game that required participants to arrange a given set of cards (consisting of spine numbers) in Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) order. This was a fun way to learn about the inventor of DDC scheme and how books were arranged according to this scheme.

The book-hunt in the QI campus and five other campuses of Villa College added a good dose of excitement and curiosity. Ten books were hidden around the campuses. Both students and staff of VIHS and VC were invited to join this book hunt, and the ones who found the books got to own them.

Library Day, 2023, brought together the community of Villa College and VIHS to experience the world of books in a fun and creative environment.