By Kyra Gillespie
Thanks to the creativity of one resident and an old bookshelf, Maryknoll bookworms can now read, share and swap books through a new pop-up library operating out of the Maryknoll Store.
Kathy Paterson had always liked the idea of a pop-up library, after seeing them around inner-city Melbourne.
When she found herself with a bookshelf she didn’t have any use for, a local pop-up library sprung to mind.
“I had this piece of furniture and wondered what to do with it.
“So I called the secretary of the progress society, Anne Jones, to see if we could make it happen.
“They loved the idea, so we asked the owners of the Maryknoll store, Raj and Gira, if we could run it out of the Maryknoll store and they were all for it.
“I put the message out on Facebook calling for book donations, and it all went from there. I’ve had a huge response from locals and so many people donating their books to the project.
“Anyone can take a book for a time, or forever, and also take the opportunity to leave a book for others to enjoy.”
For Kathy, books have always been an important part of her life.
“I’ve always loved books; I love their touch and smell.
“I love that when you read, you lose yourself in another world.”
Hours spent in the library with her siblings were some of Kathy’s fondest childhood memories.
“We were brought up in the city, way before TV, and we were taken to the library as children for entertainment.
“As a little girl I couldn’t understand why all the books weren’t in height order, so I would kill time neatening up all the shelves by rearranging all the books. It must have driven those librarians mad!” Kathy said with a laugh.
Among Kathy’s favourite authors are Jane Austen and Hannah Kent.
Maryknoll store owner Raj Tanna is excited to have the small library up and running.
“There aren’t as many people reading anymore, so I hope this will encourage more people to pick up a book,” Mr Tanna said.
“We are open seven days a week, it’s all free, and all are welcome to come and use it.”
The pop-up library has a section dedicated to children’s books.
As a parent, Mr Tanna believes that books play an integral role in the life of a child.
“My son loves to read. He is 16 now and reads every day.
“My wife and I used to read to him when he was little, but it was his grandfather who made the real difference, as he would read him a bedtime story every night.”
Mr Tanna’s favourite book is an autobiography by Ghandi ‘Satyana Prayogo’, which in English translates to ‘The Story of My Experiments With Truth.’
Kathy, Mr Tanna and the Maryknoll Progress Society would like to highlight to residents that the pop-up library will not be replacing the Cardinia mobile library, which still visits Maryknoll every Thursday.
