A school teacher from Italy bought a small truck and made it into a mini library on wheels.
In the heart of the Basilicata region, a former teacher, Antonio La Cava, lives to this day, and to this day has not given up his call to teach. Every day, he gets in his small truck, equipped with a small library, and carries books around the city, and sometimes travels outside it. “I’ve been connected with children all my life, introducing them to books, and then I decided to deliver them directly,” La Cava explains. For the past 14 years, the former teacher has traveled across the plains and hills of the region, distributing books to children for free.
Antonio La Cava was born in the small village of Ferrandina, which is located in the heart of Basilicata and spent his whole life here. The former teacher, who has dozens of years of experience behind him, admits that he always dreamed of doing good outside of educational institutions. The idea of a library on wheels came to him many years ago, when he was still teaching at school, but it was possible to implement it only after years. “The reasons for this project www.ilbibliomotocarro.com are very diverse. But perhaps the most romantic of them is connected with my past. My parents were farmers, and we lived in a house that also housed a stable. Every day at about 7 pm, my mother turned off the light, leaving only candles to burn. Soon I began to read by candlelight, the book became my friend. I remember the first of them I read when I was 13 years old. By the way, I bought it from a book dealer who was traveling around the villages with a whole truck of books. ”
In 2003, Antonio bought a used truck and converted it specifically for bookshelves, which can accommodate up to 700 volumes, the composition of which is regularly updated. Every week, Antonio drives his mobile library and travels about 500 kilometers just to bring some kind of joy to reading enthusiasts.
As soon as the teacher arrives at his destination, he rings the horn, and within a minute the children occupy the truck. It is worth noting that La Cava keeps its way through the most popular places for children, for example, playgrounds. By the way, not only kids but also adults come to the Antonio library. "In some areas, I noticed something that surprised me, you can even conduct a study on this topic," La Cava shares his impressions.
“Often, elderly people turn to me with a request to bring textbooks for primary school. Probably, these people for one reason or another could not even finish school. ”
Antonio eagerly explains why his mobile library project is still focused primarily on children. A retired teacher says that he completely agrees with the proverb "From time immemorial, a book raises a person." “In my village, in Ferrandin, the“ objects ”are mostly children who go to kindergarten or elementary school, from 3 to 12 years old.” In one of his interviews, La Cava said that his teaching experience at school showed : There is a better way to instill in children a love of reading.
“Often the lack of interest in reading is rooted in those classes that teach reading techniques. Reading should bring joy, and not be some kind of duty, ”Antonio said.
He also claims that the children to whom he offers books always look forward to him and often arrange gatherings right next to the mobile library. They are very fond of talking with the chief librarian of the region, asking him to bring this or that book. La Cava says that most often children ask him to bring ordinary notebooks in order to write down their ideas and thoughts, which later can grow into full-fledged works.
