A library on wheels drives literary fun in Athens
The Mobile Library of the City of Athens came to life this summer, promising to fill as many neighborhoods as possible with books for children and adults.
The central districts of Syntagma Square, Petralona and Pagkrati, among others, are some of the loan centers for the library “visits” in June, as part of Athens’ role as World Book Capital for 2018, organizers say. The colorful minibus, loaded with 1,000 books, was at the Serafeio Athletic and Community Complex in the city center last week.
There are more than 3,000 titles available in the full collection of the project. Books offered are in Greek, English and French, and most fall in the literary category. The lending process is simple: Thanks to an automated electronic system, Athens’ residents can become members of the library and borrow up to two books at a time free of charge.
Both the vehicle and the books are a loan from Veria, a city in northern Greece, and they will be returned once the program is over in coming spring. Until then, the mobile library travels the streets of Athens with the support of the municipality’s Cultural, Sport and Youth Organization and the Municipal Library of Veria.
“‘Books everywhere’ is the slogan of the mobile library and in the two weeks from the beginning of the program, more than 60 citizens became members,” Foteini Pitta, the librarian and project coordinator, says.
With over 250 related events, Athens is celebrating being World Book Capital for an entire year. The celebrations began in April. Seminars, conferences, workshops, reading events, and activities for adults and children have turned the city into the place where the universal heart of the written word is beating.
“One of the great challenges of the event is to bring books to neighborhoods that do not have libraries and, more importantly, to bring nonreaders closer to the book and attract their interest,” Georgios Foutas, from the organizing committee behind the Athens World Book Capital 2018 activities, says.
“For this reason, the mobile library will be stationed in all seven municipal communities of Athens, often seeking presence in sports venues and major events and celebrations of the city,” he adds.