Levinsky Garden Library

Image courtesy of: The Garden Library. (n.d.).  [An untitled picture of the adult bookshelf at the Garden Library].  Retrieved May 25, 2014 from: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/about.htm

What is it?

The Levinsky Garden Library is located in Levinsky Park, found in the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood of south Tel Aviv, Israel.  It is an open air library, with no walls and no ceiling.  There are two shelves: a larger, taller one for adults and a smaller, shorter one for young children.  The adult shelf is supported by a shelter wall, and the shelf has a covering that lifts up to protect users from the sun and rain while browsing books.   The children’s shelf is supported by a different wall, and it has doors that fold down to create a floor for the children on which to read books and explore the shelves.  Interestingly, the book shelves are lit from within when nighttime hits.  This allows for the books to be illuminated and for users to stay at the library and read when it is dark outside. 

Image courtesy of: The Garden Library. (n.d.).  [An untitled picture of the children's bookshelf at the Garden Library].  Retrieved May 25, 2014 from: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/about.htm

The library organizes its books according to the emotions felt while reading them.  Readers can describe a book as amusing, bizarre, boring, depressing, exciting, inspiring, or sentimental and each emotion has its own color code.  Responses are entered permanently, and then the book is re-shelved according to the most recent color assigned to it (Turner, January 23, 2014).  For example, if a person feels amused while reading a text, then they will re-shelve it in the amusing section.  Due to this unique shelving system, users can browse books based on what emotion they are feeling or would like to feel while reading.  The staff and volunteers do not provide any sway in the location of books, unless they are re-shelving one that they have recently read.  Marit Benisrael, an artist who helped create the library states, “The idea is that the books will wander in the library like people do in the world, and that every person can change something,” (Kloosterman, December 10, 2009). 

It is not only a library, but also a community center.  It provides a children’s after-school program and an active education center which offers cultural events and courses to the community at large.

Purpose

The Levinsky Garden Library is geared to serve the multicultural population that resides in the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood.  Here you will find migrant workers, asylum seekers, and other underrepresented minority groups residing in Tel Aviv.  The founders of the library created it on the belief that the right to a book is a fundamental human right.  Books can also offer escape and shelter from the unfortunate parts of everyday life (“Garden Library for Refugees,” February 10, 2011).    Providing books to marginalized groups such as these allows the founders to spread their beliefs to more people. 

This location was chosen because it was the congregation area on weekends for the neighborhood.   Many of the members of the neighborhood are illegal immigrants, and they constantly live in fear of having a government official checking and asking questions.  The founders felt that it was important to bring the library to the people so that they could exercise their human right to a book without being afraid of a guard who would preside over an entrance to a building, hence an open air library (“Garden Library for Refugees,” February 10, 2011).    

The founders also want to help create lasting social change through culture and education, which they view as basic human rights that help lessen the differences between communities and individuals.  Following this principle, the library uses various art and education programs to support all members of the community in “engaging directly with Israeli society, which by and large silences and marginalizes them.”  (The Garden Library, n.d.).   

Image courtesy of: Meiri, Y. (February 10, 2011).  The Garden Library for Refugees and Migrant Workers / Yoav Meiri Architects.  [An untitled picture of a class for children]  

Retrieved May 26, 2014 from: http://www.archdaily.com/?p=112495 

History

The Levinsky Garden Library was established in 2009 by a group called ARTEAM, which is an interdisciplinary art cooperative and a not-for-profit art organization in Israel.  Musila, an aid and information center for the foreign communities of the Tel Aviv municipality, also collaborated on the project.  It started with only the two bookshelves: one for adults and one for children.  The response was overwhelming, and has led to a rapid growth of the programs offered (The Garden Library, n.d.). 

On October 20, 2012, they opened their cultural community center, located in a nearby bomb shelter, which offers cheap classes and events for locals.  One can be of any nationality to participate in this library and its functions (Shimrat, October 20, 2012).    

Image courtesy of: The Garden Library. (n.d.).  [An untitled picture of the community center at the Garden Library].  Retrieved May 25, 2014 from: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/projects.htm

Popularity

The Levinsky Garden Library is quite popular, made evident by the fact that a large number of texts are available in multiple languages.  According to the library’s website (n.d.), roughly 3,500 books in 16 different languages can be found.   It also operates with the help of about 120 volunteers and a few part-time staff (Cuen, October 3, 2013). 

As of October 2013, the library served 40-60 children on a daily basis, with 300 adults enrolled in its educational programs, 40 adults enrolled in arts programs, and over an additional 50 adults who are active cardholders  (Cuen, October 3, 2013). 

The patrons come from a wide variety of places and backgrounds, including Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, African asylum- seekers, and native Israeli residents of the neighborhood (The Garden Library, n.d.).    

Image courtesy of: The Garden Library. (n.d.).  [An untitled picture of a community event at the Garden Library].  Retrieved May 25, 2014 from: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/projects.htm

Issues

The library is solely based on donations and volunteer work (Dolberg, June 5, 2010).  In an area with small incomes and troubles such as this one faces, relying on donations and volunteers can create problems.  Luckily for the members of this community, in addition to private citizens supporting this endeavor, publishers around the world have helped furnish this library with books.  The members of the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood still have their library, and if donations continue, the Levinsky Garden Library will continue as well. 

References

1.  Cuen, L.  (2013, October 3).  Garden Library: Creativity and conversation transform stigmatized neighborhood.  Dowser.  Retrieved from: http://dowser.org/garden-library-how-creativity-and-conversation-are-transforming-a-stigmatized-neighbourhood/

     This article takes a more personal approach and interviews people directly affected by the Garden Library and all that it has to offer.  It delves into the purpose and scope of the library effectively, as well as providing statistics.  I used this in the popularity section.  

2.  Dolberg, N.  (2010, June 5).  Ballet in Levinski Garden. Noa Dolberg. Retrieved from: http://noadol.com/design/?p=120

          This source is a short piece with some basic facts about the library and a show that was performed in 2010 at the library.  

3.  The Garden Library for Refugees and Migrant Workers / Yoav Meiri Architects. (2011, February 10). ArchDaily. Accessed 26 May 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.archdaily.com/?p=112495 

     This source explained the structure of bookshelves well, and provided some quality photos taken by some of the founders of the project.  It also helped to explain the organization system of the library.  An image was used from here.  

4.  The Garden Library: For the Migrant Communities and Neighborhoods of South Tel Aviv. (n.d.).  Retrieved from: http://www.thegardenlibrary.org/about.htm 

     This is the library’s website and it provides great in-depth coverage of the purpose and scope of the Garden Library.  It is a great resource to learn more and to get into contact with members of the library. Several images were used from this site.

5.  Kloosterman, K.  (2009, December 10).  A model “Garden Library” for urban environments in transition.  Green Prophet. Retrieved from: http://www.greenprophet.com/2009/12/garden-library-israel/

     This source examined this library as a sustainable selection for libraries.  It also examined the projected impacts that it would have on the community, and in the short time that the library had been opened, it looked at what had already been accomplished.  I used this in the “What is it?” section.  

6.  Shimrat, E.  (2012, October 20).  Levinsky Garden Culture Center grand opening – Free indie gigs.  Retrieved from: http://www.diytelavivguide.com/blog/tel-aviv-events/levinsky-garden-culture-center-grand-opening-free-indie-gigs

     This short posting on the DIY Tel Aviv Guide blog helped add a little bit more to the history of the library.   It helped to demonstrate the growth and popularity of the library.  

7.  Turner, K. (2014, January 23). The 10 weirdest and most wonderful libraries in the world. LitReactor, LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2014 from: http://litreactor.com/columns/the-10-most-unusual-libraries-in-the-world.

     This article provided the starting point to help guide in my research.  It provided a topic with some basic background information that allowed me to search and find other sources.  I checked information found here with the other sources used and used some of this in the “What is it?” section.