i used to have this driver, and we discovered that he dropped out of the 8th grade in nepal, where he comes from, started working, got married, and is now working as a driver to support his wife's dream to complete her graduation. when we checked it out, it turned out he has fantastic vocabulary, spelling, and handwriting. the only thing he's weak at is grammar. i told him the best way to improve that is to read a lot. when i asked him if he likes reading, he said he really really does, but he only reads hindi books, never english, because english books are too expensive and he's too intimidated to enter bookstores.
i realized there must be hundreds of people who are literate, could possibly enjoy reading, and want to gain access to books, but just don't know how. they work as maids, drivers, watchmen, and they have neither the money nor access to books.
so what can be done about it?
my idea is to start a free public library that exists in the form of a carton or plastic drum full of books kept at easily accessible public locations. in my opinion, the best location would be next to the watchmen in buildings around bombay because that's where everyone usually congregates. i get people to donate books they don't want (like if they're moving home, or just getting rid of them) and fill up these cartons. anyone can pick a book from this carton for free, read it, and then they must drop it back in any carton around the city. in fact it's better not to drop it back in the same carton where you got it from so that the books keep getting circulated. you get to be a member of this library purely by virtue of living in the city.
there are some problems to this idea.
1. people may feel having a drum or carton in which anyone can drop/pick up anything is a security threat
2. most buildings have societies full of stodgy old men who may not approve the idea
3. we could find other locations to keep the cartons (offices, schools, houses), but it shouldn't become a nuisance for whoever lives there + the whole point is to be very local, public, easily accessible, and self regulated
so does anyone think it could work? if yes, can you think of a good location to place my first carton? would you like to donate some books?
another downside to this is theft. plus, you might find cartons going empty for days. how many people do you think will actually return a book if they're not under any obligation? even the british library has problems getting them back from people.
ReplyDeletehowever, now that you've found a naysayer, you can be sure the idea will work.
if they're going to steal, well then they must really really want the book so they should have it no? :)
ReplyDeletealso, this gave me hope: http://bit.ly/y7Qb8