English
Some might say that books are no longer a vital part of our lives. They might say that books have been abandoned for the sake of technology and “progress.” But there isn’t anything quite like the experience of sitting on a city bench, reading a book, while the world keeps moving.
The Tel Aviv municipality apparently agreed with this notion and developed a solution that can make your daily walk around town a little more literary.
The street library launched in May of 2014 on the eastern part of Rothschild Boulevard, right next to Habima Square. It’s actually a two-wheel cart with orange shades that is open to the public and offers more than 500 titles in different languages (English, French, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic) for both adults and children. Borrowing books is completely free, you just need to stay within the library’s radius.
Whoever’s not ready to give up technology and prefers reading on a tablet can log in to the city’s free WiFi service and download digital books as part of an agreement with the municipality and the “Ivrit” project.
The street library will be open during the summer, every day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. In addition to the Rothschild library, four beach libraries will operate in the Gordon, Metzitzim, Jerusalem and Hatsuk beaches, for those who wish to feel the sand under their feet while holding a real, or virtual, book in their hands.
