Stacks of books, scanners and, above all, lots of colorful bags - that's what it looks like in the region's school book warehouses during the summer vacations. This year, the OIE once again supported the school book loans and provided around 4,500 colorful Fairtrade cloth bags. They were used in the town of Idar-Oberstein, the municipalities of Herrstein-Rhaunen and Baumholder and the district of Birkenfeld.
Weeks before the start of school, many helping hands were already at work sorting, scanning and packing the books into the robust bags. The Fairtrade bags are made of durable cotton, are versatile and can also be used in everyday life after borrowing - whether for shopping, sports gear or the next excursion.
"Organizing the school book loan is a huge logistical effort, we will probably have around 1,000 participants in Idar-Oberstein," explained Lord Mayor Frank Frühauf. He thanked the hard-working helpers for their commitment in preparing and carrying out the school book loan and the OIE for once again providing the sturdy and handy bags.
Once again this year, OIE representatives accompanied the handover of the bags - including at Idar elementary school, the integrated comprehensive school in Herrstein, Baumholder elementary school and the school book warehouse of the Herrstein-Rhaunen national park association. The picture was similar everywhere: full shelves, bustling activity and a well-coordinated team that manages large quantities of books in a short space of time. "Borrowing school books is a considerable organizational feat every year. With our bags, we want to take the strain off the helpers - and make the start of the school year as pleasant as possible for families," explains Andreas Berg, CEO of the OIE.
At the beginning of the 2010/2011 school year, a textbook lending system was gradually introduced in Rhineland-Palatinate. Participation is voluntary. Under the textbook lending scheme, parents or pupils of legal age whose income does not exceed certain limits receive textbooks and supplementary printed materials such as workbooks free of charge. If income exceeds the income limits, textbooks can be borrowed for a fee.