Access to a variety of literature while on the move.
Carriage-library on Minsk metro
The unique library project is running through ten carriages on the Minsk metro over the coming six months, with sections on children’s literature, classical works, best-sellers, genre fiction (detective, and fantasy) and uplifting books. Downloadable editions are available to all passengers, without exception.
MTS mobile operator has organised the project, aiming to promote reading. The first four carriages are already in service, with others soon to launch.
Almost 50 extracts from popular books are being displayed inside each carriage, in order to arouse people’s desire to read the works in their entirety. Moreover, passengers can download more than 500,000 works (in nine languages) within the carriages, for immediate reading.
Denis Tereshchenko, MTS’ Marketing Director, tells us, “We’ve launched the Mobile Library in the metro in order to revive interest in reading. According to statistics, we’re generally reading fewer books; sales are falling by 20 percent annually. This educational and social project aims to show people how interesting, useful and easy it is to read, and that e-books bring access to an almost unlimited number of editions, at the click of your smartphone or tablet, for reading anywhere, even on the metro.”
He continues, “It’s problematic or, even, impossible to download many of the works found in the Mobile Library from online sites. The whole content in ‘Bookmate’ is available for legal sharing.”
One of the major advantages of the Mobile Library is that readers have no need for a steady Internet connection once they’ve downloaded their chosen edition. Moreover, you can synchronise your devices, starting a book on your smartphone while travelling and then continuing at home on your laptop.
MTS gave its subscribers access to the Mobile Library in March of this year, and has since increased the number of downloadable editions 2.5-fold, to reach 500,000 (with the number continuing to increase every day). Around 5,000 people have become registered users.
By Veniamin Mikheev
