After the success of the so-called green libraries and green areas in the capital city over this and the past year, now it’s turn of those in the mountain - of course, in Vitosha. Five chalets there accommodate five book houses and fans of reading have the chance to read some of the latest titles from the Sofia Library’s collection – the latter organizes the green reading. Besides that anyone willing has received free reading cards. How has the idea occurred? Director of the library Yulia Tsinzova explains:

“The Sofia Library is the largest public library in Bulgaria with over a million of books, alongside pictures, music, scores. This resource is huge. We have amazing data bases, including American and English digital ones. We also have digital platforms now. We find it very important that the greatest number possible of Sofia residents get acquainted with all this wealth. That is why over the past years we have organized many campaigns and initiatives, in order to attract the interest mostly of young people to reading. Reading is essential for the personal prosperity and success of everyone. That was why last year we organized those green libraries in the park. This year the initiative is held for a second time due to the tremendous success from last summer.”

The event was combined with the presentation of new and interesting titles. Famous Bulgarian authors met with their young audience. A music club showed the kids how to play musical instruments. The Sofia Library will organize a large exhibition with pictures at its Child & Youth Dept.

There is a great interest towards the small hut-like houses made to contain the books as well, Mrs. Tsinzova points out. The library has an agreement with the Vitosha Natural Park for the maintenance of small libraries there. Tourists have already shown huge interest to the houses. Many even have donated, taken and returned certain books already.

“Why did we organize this initiative? It was due to the enhanced interest towards the subjects of nature, ecology, clean air and global environmental issues, spotted at the library over the past years. For instance, young people are really sensitive towards organic food and healthy nutrition. We found it really important to feel how the houses would develop in the company of mountain lovers who are also one of our major groups of readers. We have also placed poetry and short stories as it turned out that mountaineers were fans of poetry as well.”

What is the wealth of the Sofia Library? The rarest and most precious printed editions have been collected there through the years and some 20,000 of the samples have been donated. Donations are still ongoing today, including the ones of old Sofia families – books mainly, but also extremely valuable maps and pictures. The Bible of famous Bulgarian statesman Konstantin Stoilov that used to stay on his night stand in Istanbul’s Robert College is one of the recent donations. The library owns his personal collection of 12,000 volumes with his notes and the man’s postmortem mask as well. The wife of famous playwright and poet Ivan Radoev has brought a part of the family library. Poet Kiril Hristov has donated books with autographs of Bulgarian authors…

“We have digitalized a part of the art funds, including pictures, on our website,” Mrs. Tsinzova goes on to say. “We are a part of a major project for the digitalization of the Bulgarian periodic printed media till 1944, together with the libraries in Plovdiv, Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo. The Serdika Magazine has been digitalized. On September 17, Sofia’s fest we expect the unveiling of a large digital center with 4 scanners, a powerful server, a photo lab and the presentation of a big project under an European program. We are talking about 13 Bulgarian classical poets and writers.”

Digitalization is the main word in the work of the library today – from the one of old printed rare and valuable Bulgarian books to the forthcoming digitalization of all funds of the library.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev