Books are special assets. Particularly the ones that teach us about life, guide us with new directions. There is no myth in the proverb, “A good book is like a good friend. It will stay with you for the rest of your life.” We fiercely protect and treasure them so that it can be passed to our loved ones and they could read and benefit from them.
Challenging this concept, a team of eight college students from Pune opened a 24*7 library, where books can be dumped and picked up at any time. The first library corner was inaugurated in Kothrud, Pune on December 7.
Speaking to The Logical Indian the team head, Priyanka Choudhari said, “We tried to execute donate-read-donate concept to get people to understand that when books get stolen, that is when India is actually reading. We know that stealing is not the right thing to do, and that is why we came up with this concept.”
(The team in the corner newly opened at Kothrud, Pune)
This brilliant concept is named “Open Library Movement” where there are no restrictions on reading books. They do not have any membership fees or particular timings for the readers. There is a shelf completely dedicated to read and donate books in Jeet Ground, Lokmanya Colony.
Currently, they have more than 200 books of varied genres belonging to different time periods. Ranging from Marathi and English novels to books relating to competitive exams and biographies, they have a versatile collection on their shelf.
(Reader choosing a book of her interest)
“We have a collection of different books that attract readers of different age groups and interests. Until now, the response has been really good and we are all set to launch a new corner near Shivaji Maharaj Statue in Chaitanya Nagar and we are planning to expand in the entire city in the due course of time,” Priyanka added.
The library is not expecting any donations or money but just exchange of knowledge by reading and donating one book at a time.
This library movement is running on a sole motive to make books available for everyone without any restrictions. The libraries will have the books taken care of by residents in their respective areas.
The team is planning to further open at least 200 corners across the city by 2020. They are open for donations now and you can share your collections by contacting on the mobile number +91 9422921192.
