Town converts ship into library to attract readers


Seeking to attract more people to libraries, the municipality of Çankırı, a central Turkish province north of Ankara, has converted a small ship into a library. The "Theme library" project of the municipality started when an old train was converted into a library and a decommissioned Airbus A-300 was similarly converted two years ago.

Now, a 41-meter long vessel in a lake in the inland city serves as a library for bookworms. Ethem Yenigürbüz, municipality's director of culture department, says the library contains 2,025 books and people loved the place.

"We use different venues as a library especially to attract children here, to help them get into the habit of reading. Indeed, surveys by local education authority show there is a surge in book readers in Çankırı," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).