In 1995, Imagina was founded by Lulis Camarena. In 1996, Imagina Biblioteca Infantil became the first public children’s library in the city of León Guanajuato (México).
Leon is among the ten largest cities in Mexico. In 1995, it was a city with 1.2 million inhabitants and had only 100,000 books in its public libraries. In comparison, San Jose, CA, a city of 780,000 inhabitants had 1,426,000 books. When we started our research, no other library in Leon provided access to computers or online databases, and not one of the libraries focused on children.
We also found very shocking statistics: The percentage of youths that dropped out of school before reaching college was 98%, with only 6.7% finishing high school. Also, only 2% of the Mexican population engaged in leisure reading.
It became obvious that we needed to reach out and help the underprivileged children. We wanted to foster their imagination, creativity, and passion for research, as well as provide them with tools for a better future. With the help of friends, relatives, and donations Imagina Biblioteca Infantil opened it’s doors in Leon in 1996. The location chosen was a very poor community in the outskirts of the city.
After 15 wonderful years of hard work, long hours, a very capable and enthusiastic staff, volunteer work and donations, Imagina Biblioteca Infantil has grown into an exciting place for learning, leisure, and multiple educational activities for children.
Imagina Biblioteca Infantil is visited by an average of 5,000 children a month.
Imagina Biblioteca Infantil has evolved from a small library into a full scale children’s cultural community center.
Some of the activities that Imagina Biblioteca Infantil offers to the public are the following: reading, computer access, after school programs, painting, theatre, piano, violin, dance, and a brand new Children and Youth orchestra.
Imagina Children’s Foundation was created in Florida in 2010 in response to the growth and increasing needs of Imagina Biblioteca Infantil. Since then, the Florida based foundation has worked diligently to fund and promote Imagina Biblioteca Infantil.