Sir,

This is Innovative ! “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; And writing an exact man.” — Francis Bacon. Now let me narrate my experience.

During my recent visit to England, I came across a stimulating experience in Woodside Park Subway Station, where there was a board stating, ‘Woodside Park Community Library’ with a simple message, ‘Leave a book & Take a book’ and below it was added, ‘Thank You!’ As a traveller, I was attracted to this simple message and my eyes were riveted to a pile of books on the wooden rack, inviting one to pick up any one of them.

Earlier on, visiting Buckingham Palace, the Lords Cricket Stadium, Museums and other places of interest, I had observed how keen the British were in the upkeep of monuments, buildings, parks, libraries etc., their penchant was inexhaustible. The book swap libraries at Tube Stations and other places bring out their innovative spirit and love for reading.

At the Woodside Park Subway Tube Station, a few books drew my attention — ‘Easter Island’ by Jennifer Vanderbes; Lady Chatterleys Lover by D.H. Lawrence; Decoded by Jay-Z and so on. I recollected my write-up on ‘Reflections on a Library in London’ (SOM dated Jan. 2, 2013), about how well the library was equipped, an example of how Londoners encourage reading habit. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see how an unmanned small library was set up in a Tube Station urging those who pass by, to pick up a book.

There are more than 90 such book swap libraries, I learnt and a gentleman even mapped the places that have them. Many Tube Stations house them but some are even on streets housed in abandoned telephone booths that have been converted into such libraries. The one at Wimbledon Station has this helpful message on a poster on the book swap library door, “Never be bored on a train journey again.”

Dating back to 2012, most of these book swap libraries are community-led initiatives, while others partner with social charities or with the London transport system, the TfL.

Looking at the diversity of the people in London, it was also interesting to learn that some of the books in these libraries are of other languages like Hindi, Tamil and Chinese and there are also children’s picture books. Strangely enough even though the tube trains jostle with office-going folks and students, one does not experience loud noise in the compartment which is very conducive to reading. Would it not be a healthy practice that could be tried in India too?

— B.K. Viswanath, Mysuru, 10.3.2024

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