BookCrossing has finally come to Sandnes. Book lovers can now choose from several free books at a number of locations in the city.
BookCrossing consists in depositing books at several localities so that others can find them and enjoy them. This concept was first initiated in the USA in 2001, and is a growing concept. It was Ron Hornbaker that first obtained the idea on the subject of BookCrossing in March 2001, and one month later the Internet page www.bookcrossing.com was launched. Today this web page has gathered more than 740 000 book lovers from approximately 150 countries.
It is the Head of Department Tereza Barbosa da Silva of Sandnes Library that has introduced the concept of BookCrossing in Sandnes. Barbosa da Silva started working for the department of culture in December 2008, and found it a shame that so many of the books that were no longer in use, just took up space in stock. Thus, she decided to release the books. - I am very happy that we can give away books that we have several examples of, and that otherwise would have been lying stashed away somewhere. This is a wonderful opportunity for sharing reading experiences, she declares.
The first time Barbosa da Silva herself stumbled upon BookCrossing was when she discovered the book Kite runner by the Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini at a coffee shop in Oslo. Inside the cover of the book she found a label telling her that this book had been waiting to be found by someone who loved books, and was hoping to get read before getting released once more. When finding this book, she realised that there is an entire society of book lovers all around the world. A society that she recommends everyone to become a part of. - I hope that I can inspire others to participate and by doing so, making it possible for them to share all their good reading experiences with others, Tereza Barbosa da Silva concludes.