On the World Book Day marked on April 23, the National Center for Children and Youth “Artico” launched the social project “Little Free Library” in Moldova.

The little free library or street library is a box full of books where anyone
may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share.

The first two such boxes were built by students of the Chisinau vocational school No. 4 in the square of the Center “Artico”. More such libraries will be set up in the future.

“The books must be read and loved. What we want to do now is to attract the young people’s attention to them. The libraries will not be protected from thefts. Anyone can take those books,” the Center’s direction Sergiu Scarlat has told IPN.

Mihaela, a student who took part in the performance staged on the occasion of the launch of the project “Little Free Library” in Moldova, said the street libraries will draw the people closer and will help them find other values than the material ones.

Invited to the event, Ion Bargan, founder of the online library www.bestseller.md, said that investments should be made in reading as reading makes a nation more powerful.

The “Little Free Library” is a nonprofit movement founded in the U.S. with the aim of taking the books out of closed spaces and bringing them closer to the people.