Turkey is going through a crisis, after the terrible earthquake that struck several regions of the country and Syria, humanitarian aid is coming from everywhere, however, with each passing hour, it is more difficult to try to find more victims or even be able to recover the bodies.
However, good news is always worth sharing and celebrating, like the great story of some garbage collectors who decided to turn other people’s waste into a real treasure.
These cleaning workers had the initiative to open a place to give a second chance to thousands of books thrown away and which were collected to be used again.
Few know the great value that a book has, because in addition to being a compilation of printed or digital sheets, it is also capable of telling a story or teaching a certain learning, it is an incredible tool to transport us to imaginary worlds or give us the possibility of reach our goals thanks to education.
Everything was born thanks to the initiative of Serhat Baytemur, a young collector who always dreamed of having his own library, so when he saw the number of books that were thrown away, he began to rethink what could be an alternative to save them from a sad ending.
As of today and with the contribution of other volunteers, it was possible to create a library with more than 25 thousand titles divided into more than 17 categories such as novels, short stories, encyclopedias, classics, art, science, magazines or newspapers.
Initially it was about collecting any book found in a boat or lying on a street, in fact the library started with just 3,500 books, but now donations are also accepted.
Finding a suitable place to house the library was an almost impossible mission, so at first the janitors stored the books in a former brickyard that was available at the headquarters of the city’s sanitation department.
Although only workers and their families could make use of the facilities, over time and seeing the increase in books and people’s interest, it was decided to open the library to the public.
The city government found out about the initiative and they hired a full-time employee to help them run it. In fact, the recycling doesn’t end there, as the structure is made from recycled materials found in the trash and also provides books to the community. .
Its success has not ended there, as now the workers involved turned a garbage truck into a small mobile library with the aim of taking their books to other nearby schools.
