The timing may be coincidental, but it doesn't feel that way. In the same week that the UK faced criticism for restricting book flow into prisons (covered here by our own Kirsten Reach), the organization Libraries Without Borders unveiled unveiled a project to do pretty much the opposite: send libraries to refugee camps.
Ideas Boxes do much to replicate what one might find in a traditional library. Inside are 5,000 e-books, 50 e-readers, 250 printed books, four laptops with internet, tables, chairs, board games, and a projector complete with 100 films—nothing like the throwaway books one might expect. The logic behind these choices is that library access is a critical resource, especially for people lacking so much else in their lives. As such, the quality matters.
“The idea is that food, water and shelter aren’t enough,” said the founder of Libraries Without Borders, Patrick Weil. “People who have lost everything need books, films, games and Internet access to feed their minds, connect with loved ones, pursue education and rebuild their lives.”
We don't just need bread, we need roses too.