8,000 Books, 50 Languages: Inside Latvia's People's Bookshelf
The People's Bookshelf (Riga, Latvia)
The People's Bookshelf at the National Library of Latvia in Riga holds nearly 8,000 books in 50 languages, each donated by an individual with a personal inscription on the title page. The project began in 2014 when thousands passed books hand to hand from the old library to the Castle of Light during Riga's European Capital of Culture year. Anyone can donate one special book, and all are searchable online.
We want the library to have a special place, created by people themselves. Consequently, it is important that each book tells its own story about the history of an individual – a story whose like can't be found in an encyclopaedia or novel.