Visitors throng to unique library in Turkey


A library in northern Turkey's Karabük province has caught the attention of numerous visitors with its unique architecture.

The building bears resemblance to a bookshelf, with books stacked alongside each other. The architecture emulates the Kansas City Public Library in the U.S.

The library at Karabük University (KBU), built with the support of philanthropist Kamil Güleç, provides access to 60,000 print and more than 6 million digital publications.

"The Kamil Güleç Library is a state-of-the-art facility," said Özcan Büyükgenç, head of Department of Library and Documentation at the Karabük University.

Students can borrow and return books at kiosks equipped with self-check systems.

He added that through an interlibrary system, students can order books from any other library across Turkey.

"If we don't have a resource and any of the 192 libraries in Turkey has it, the reader can order and it will be delivered to them within three days," he added.

Some 450,000 people have used the library since it opened 10 months ago, Büyükgenç said, adding that the library is open 24 hours.

He said students from 50 different schools and institutions from across the country have visited the library.

Students visiting the library told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they have benefited greatly from the facility.

"There is no book that we can't find in this library," said Emrah Çakan, an automotive engineering student.

"We like the study area," said Fadime Kaplan, a child development student.

Muhammet Furkan Türkmen, a student of theology, said, "It's not rich only in terms of design but also content."

Turkey is currently celebrating National Library Week. The event has been celebrated in the last week of March every year since 1964.

The week aims to encourage reading habits among children and raise awareness for improving libraries.