Garbage collectors start library with abandoned books
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The reading
Garbage collectors in the Turkish capital Ankara are recycling the books they find in the trash. They have created a mobile library. The library is full of books that people have thrown away. There are now over 9,000 books on the library's shelves. The books are divided into over 20 categories, including politics, philosophy, drama, thrillers, romance, history, literature, healthy living and economics. The library is inside a truck that tours schools in the suburbs of Ankara. The garbage collectors hope to create a greater passion for reading books in children, especially in the age of mobile phones and tablets. Many schools do not have a reading room or their own library.
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The library has got a lot of attention in Turkey. There is now a campaign for it to grow. People from all over Turkey are sending their unwanted or old books to the garbage collectors. The director of the library said: "The interest is growing. Each day we have guests coming here to borrow books or have a quiet time to read." A worker at the mobile library said: "We have books here for children aged from six to ten, but also books for older children, like world classics and fiction novels. We hope that it will amuse them and arouse a passion for books." Turkey currently has just one public library for every 70,000 people, compared to one for every 6,200 people in the European Union.
Sources:
- https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/15/europe/garbage-collectors-open-library-with-abandoned-books/index.html
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turkish-garbage-collectors-pick-out-their-own-library-180968015/
- http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/09/c_137595537.htm
