Romanian bookstore chain Cărturești has launched a program aiming to collect books from its clients and redistribute them to readers with limited access to books.

As part of the program, run in partnership with non-profits such as Educab Romania, Cărțile pe față, Asociația Antonia pentru Educație, and Asociația Casa Bună, Cărturești will collect, select, and transport the books to their new owners.

The program runs for now at the Cărturești Verona bookstore in Bucharest, where the public can donate three books bought from the bookstore in exchange for a discount voucher for future purchases.

Over the last three and a half decades, more than 8,000 public libraries have closed in the country. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS), the number of school libraries dropped from 6,545 in 2019 to 6,050 in 2022. The latest edition of the Cultural Consumption Barometer (2022) also showed a decrease in the number of library visits, either for reading or borrowing books.

“We rely on the need to share that passionate readers know well. We are not talking here about donations made to get rid of old or irrelevant books but about donations made with the reader in mind. We hope those who will answer our challenge will bring to the bookstore books they love, which deserve a long life in the company of their new readers,” Theodora Petrescu, the project’s coordinator, explained.

“This program adds to our book donations to various community libraries or non-profits that have requested our help throughout the years. As the network of public libraries is insufficiently developed and funded, we are glad to be able to build a framework allowing good books to travel where they are most needed. We hope that this pilot project will gather enough readers to be implemented in the entire Cărturești network,” Ana Niculescu, communication manager with the bookstore chain, said.

Cărturești opened its first unit in 2000 and has since reached a network of 50 bookstores, including two venues in Chișinău. It recently opened units in Târgu Mureș and Vaslui.

(Photo: Lapandr/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com