Inside A Secret Library
A young group of Syrians are fighting for their future by collecting books from abandoned and bombed buildings and homes for the secret library they built: “We could see that it was vital to create a library in order to continue our education.” BBC World Affairs correspondent Mike Thomson wrote about these brave Syrians in Syria’s Secret Library: Reading and Redemption in a Town Under Siege and talked to NPR about the group of book lovers.
Bathtub Poetry
What do you do when you are writing your upcoming book in a book-themed coffee shop and now that shop is closed because of a pandemic? You light candles, put on music, get into the bathtub and write poetry that you share with the world–at least that’s what Alicia Jo Rabins has done, creating “Bathtub Pandemic Poems.”
Libraries Help With Legal Matters
Lots of people can’t afford legal aid and many people need help with civil cases–no matter how much Law & Order you’ve seen. That’s where libraries have been stepping in and offering a connection between patrons and legal aid. “We’ll get quotes on comment cards about how relieved patrons feel to have finally spoken to an attorney about a matter that may have been worrying them for a long time.”