Garbage collectors start library with abandoned books

Garbage collectors in Ankara, Turkey are recycling books they find in the trash. They started a mobile library. It has over 9,000 books on its shelves. There are over 20 categories of books, including politics, romance, history, literature and economics. The library is inside a truck. It tours schools around Ankara. The library wants to make children more passionate about books, especially in the age of mobile phones. Many Turkish schools do not have a library.

The library has got a lot of attention. People want it to grow and are sending their old books to it. The library said: "Each day we have guests coming here to borrow books or have a quiet time to read." It said: "We have books here for children aged from six to ten, but also books for older children.…We hope that it will…arouse a passion for books." Turkey has one public library for every 70,000 people; the European Union has one for every 6,200 people.