site.btaOne Sofia Librarian Says People Haven't Given Up on Reading and Kids Read Even More

One Sofia librarian says people haven't given up on reading and that kids read a lot. Zdravka Sheiretova from the Sofia Library spoke in an interview for Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Monday, on the occasion of the opening of a new shared space for reading, meetings, and literary events. The space was unveiled as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Studentski branch of the Sofia Library.

“There is always a crowd here. Kids come with their parents as early as the age of two or three. We engage them with various events to build a reading habit. My overall impression is that people read, and they read a lot. If you come on a Saturday, which is a more relaxed day, there’s a line almost from the moment we open until closing,” Sheiretova told BTA.

She described the new space as “a place for people and books to meet, a space for reading, for discussion, and for various literary events, both for children and adults.” The branch holds nearly 18,000 volumes of fiction and specialized literature, everything a reader could wish for. If a title is not available, it can be requested online and delivered to the location.

Speaking to BTA, writer and publisher at Ciela Zachary Karabashliev said: “I support this place as a reader, because I grew up in libraries. I support it as a writer, because my books are in libraries, especially in towns and villages where there are no bookstores or access to culture. And I support it as a publisher, because I believe that knowledge should be free of barriers, wherever people live. Libraries are homes of knowledge, spirituality, and culture, and they should exist wherever Bulgarians live”.

The Mayor of the Sofia borough Studentski Grad, Petko Goranov, said the expansion was carried out with the support of the municipal administration. “But it is right to say the entire initiative was implemented by the Sofia Library itself, and we congratulate them for that. It’s wonderful to see that spaces for solitude and reading, which are, unfortunately, few in Studentski Grad, are growing physically and strengthening their role and audience,” he emphasized. 

The Sofia Library currently operates five branches in the capital: Lyulin, Serdika, Studentski, Ovcha Kupel, and a traveling bus-library, the Bibliobus. Plans are underway to open additional branches in Sofia’s major boroughs.

Over the past decade, the library has expanded its network to improve access to culture across the city. Since its opening in 2015, the branch has grown from 2,000 to 18,000 volumes and increased its annual visitors from 3,000 to over 35,000.