PENAMPANG: Sekolah Menengah St Michael here made another entry in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) yesterday, this time for “The Most Number of Old Books Collected”.
The school collected 42,617 books for the title, surpassing the initial target of 36,000 books, and, at the same time, beating the old record of Persatuan Srikandi Bestari Negeri Johor at 30,000, set in 2012.
The feat is all the more amazing considering that the school’s premises were flooded in late September and some of the books were damaged and had to be sent for recycling.
This is the seventh MBR record set by SM St Michael, which first entered the MBR for “Biggest Collection of Flower Pots Made of Coconut Shells” in 2008.
Last year, the school achieved the record for the largest mass production of bookmarks from recycled materials.
During the announcement by an MBR representative at the school here, principal Jennifer Asing said about a thousand students and teachers, as well as parents, collected the used books.
The programme was initially started to fill the school’s library shelves, and to inculcate the reading habit among students.
Jennifer said despite the
flood, they were undeterred and kept working towards achieving their target.
“We started the collection from June 10 and had collected 23,000 books when a flash flood hit the school on Sept 29.
“I was in Kuala Lumpur at the time. Despite best efforts by teachers and students to rescue the books, about 30 per cent of them were damaged.
“We were supposed to make the tally on Oct 10 for the MBR record, but we asked for an extension until today (yesterday),” she said.
Jennifer said part of the
collection of fiction and non-fiction books would be distributed to primary schools in the district.
Present at the ceremony were SM St Michael Parent-Teacher Association head Datuk Phillip Lasimbang and United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation secretary-general Datuk Donald Mojuntin.
MBR was represented by its research analyst, Muhammad Shukri.