The mobile library bringing a world of books to children in Cluj county villages

The Book Truck, a mobile library set up in a van, has been traveling since 2021 to bring books to children living in villages in Cluj county, in western Romania, and sometimes further. Victor Miron, the initiator of the Book Truck and the founder of the association Cărțile pe Față, an NGO which runs various initiatives aimed at encouraging reading, shared more on how the project has developed, why regular access to books matters, and what happens when grade pressure takes a back seat.

Between 2020 and 2023, 566 libraries in the country closed, according to data from the National Commission of Libraries presented this summer. Of these, 171 were rural libraries, 10 were town and municipal libraries, 334 were school libraries, and 52 were specialized units. Although more than half of libraries (60.6%) are located in rural areas, these hold only 21.8% of the available book stock and have far fewer active users, most of whom (73%) are in urban areas. Furthermore, book acquisitions in school and rural libraries remain minimal, reflecting a lack of resources for updating their collections.