A book booth has started serving readers in TGM Square in Tábor

Atelier Fabík, book hut in Tábor; source: knihovnatabor.cz

Tábor - Today, a so-called book hut has started serving readers in T.G. Masaryk Square in Tábor. It is unique in that the architect incorporated it into the public space during the revitalization of the square. It can hold around fifty books. The nearby city library staff, as well as the readers themselves, will take care of it. Similar projects are emerging in other towns in the Czech Republic, inspired by global examples. In České Budějovice, there is a similar initiative called Literature (not) Lives! The second edition will start on April 22.
    "There were several impulses for the emergence of the book hut: first of all, I have long liked the idea of small open libraries; I have been following this trend in Germany and especially in the USA. There are already several projects in the country to populate public spaces with books, and when the reconstruction of TGM Square began here in Tábor, which is near the library, and the so-called Student Grove was created, it immediately occurred to me that a little library would be suitable there," said Eva Měřínská, director of the City Library, to ČTK.
    Thanks to the collaboration between the library, city officials, and the architect, it was possible to conceive and incorporate the little library into the space. After roughly a year, it was made and with the arrival of spring, it started serving readers today. The director hopes that mini-libraries will also arise in places where people wait, such as in offices or at doctors, but she currently has no specific plans for their expansion.
    The library's project follows the tradition of Little Free Libraries in the USA, which has spread to Europe and is also developing in several places in the Czech Republic. According to Petra Mašínová from the South Bohemian Scientific Library, there are likely five book huts in the region. More information, not just about the one in Tábor, can be found on the library's website.