Are your shelves at home chock-a-block with books you want to get rid of? Could you not make any purchase at the just-concluded book fair simply because you have no space for them?
Here is an address which is ready to accept books in good condition. The library at Swapnabhor, the senior citizens’ club, is building on its stock with donated books. “We accept non-fiction titles as a priority. Text books and titles on controversial subjects are avoided,” said an official of Swapnabhor.
The club buys books from time to time for its library and seeks suggestions for purchases from members. “While approving the purchase list, our managing director Debashis Sen mooted the idea of reaching out to residents to acquire new titles as many people have books in good condition lying at home which they have no use for,” said the official.
The drive started with Sen himself donating 75 books. On display in the library racks, they include titles by Gunter Grass and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Snehodiya resident Uma Dasgupta has donated 15 books. Another member Ashok Haldar has offered his books along with a shelf.
The accepted books are all sent to Nazrul Tirtha first, where the nodal library updates the digital list, and are then put on display.
Swapnabhor currently has close to 1,000 members. There is a waiting list of two years for membership as there is a cap on the number of members that can be enrolled.
