Embassy Events

Ambassador Goldberg Donates Books to the Pampa de la Isla Municipal Library

Ambassador Goldberg talks with some students in Pampa de la Isla during a book donation.

On August 16, 2007 The U.S. Embassy, represented by Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg, donated a collection of books to the Municipal Library of Pampa de la Isla.  The collection will serve over 20,000 students in this underprivileged area.

On September 14th 2007, Mr. Jose Zabala, the President of the Neighborhood Association of Pampa de la Isla, held a press conference, along with 500 students, to thank Ambassador Goldberg for this program.

More about the Book Program

The books of American authors, translated into Spanish, are traditionally distributed by the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia to Municipal Libraries, University Libraries, and other public libraries.

Since 2004, the Book Program developed a new approach, with the perspective to reach children, youth and indigenous populations that do not have support for their libraries. 

Ambassador Goldberg and Public Affairs Officer Denise Urs hand out notebooks and pens to the students

In this context, a five-year campaign has been developed with the National System of Public School Libraries (“Banco del Libro”), the Municipal Governments of the different Bolivian cities, the Rural Academic Units of the Catholic University, Teachers College, and other libraries opened to disadvantaged populations.

The national campaign “Estados Unidos y Bolivia unidos en la lectura 2004-2009” intends to reach all the Bolivian territory, with the support of different institutions. 

The U.S. Embassy has committed itself to donate books from the “Scholastic Collection” to approximately one hundred public libraries.

The cost of each collection is about $us 1,800 and it is supplemented by publications from our Information Resource Center, IRC (around 200 publications on history, geography, economy, democracy, and other topics of general interest).

To date the U.S. Embassy has already donated around 16,500 books and by 2009 we hope to have donated 40,000 books