popularity of printed books
Despite a wide variety of digital access options for reading, such as special e-book readers, printed books are still very popular. Nonetheless, there comes a time for most books, no matter how good and exciting, when they are no longer interesting to the owner. What follows is in most cases an existence as a dust collector on the shelf. However, there are also ways to make books accessible again for their intended purpose.
Booksharing as a free file sharing platform
One of these possibilities is the so-called booksharing. The principle of booksharing is simple: anyone who makes their own discarded books available can, in return, use the stock that other users have made available. Most offers of this type are free and based on trust. If the swap meet is heavily frequented, the offer is varied and should offer the right reading material for a wide variety of generations and tastes. Due to the constant exchange, new reading material is continuously made available and a regular visit to the book exchange stations is all the more worthwhile.
Old telephone booths as a book exchange station
If you are looking for locations where booksharing is operated, you can search on special websites that provide information. According to the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), the databases of “openbookcase.de”, “nina.az” or “tauschgnom.de” are particularly recommended. Smartphone users can also use suitable apps such as “Bookcase Finder” to find what they are looking for, reports the MDR. Incidentally, the book exchange stations are often discarded telephone boxes, also known as book boxes or book cells.
N. Lorenz / Editor finanzen.net
Image sources: Wellford Tiller / Shutterstock.com