Books of life's lessons

Zhangjiagang children's library teaches youth a love of reading

Zhangjiagang Children's Library is a place where tots teeter on the edges of their seats as readers stage events designed for their delight.

The rebuilt 125,000-square-meter library opened early this year with 300,000 titles.

That's a lot of knowledge.

It can receive 6 million visits annually.

That's a lot of people to learn a lot of knowledge.

Volumes.

In every sense.

The library sorts books according to ages rather than genres.

"Adults' libraries usually shelve according to categories. Age differences define children's libraries," director Xu Menghua says.

"Reading shouldn't be a chore for kids. It should be enjoyable and interesting beyond being useful."

The distinctions among age groups' physical spaces also counter distractions.

Jubilant toddlers may not create the best environs for high school calligraphers to harness steady hands while clutching brushes.

Applications overwhelm activities' slots, officials say.

Kids under 3 years old flip - or flop - through cloth books under colossal colorful mushrooms.

Volunteers run reading, crafts and etiquette events, often under a giant fake tree, on the second floor for kids aged 3-6.

The third story hosts classes in such traditional fields as painting and musical instrumentation.

A "little authors" signing event is a highlight of the program in which kids pen their own stories and scribble illustrations for manuscripts stocked in the library for others to read.

A popular charitable event is when kids write "reading wish lists" that send requested titles to underprivileged children - from other children. "It's a channel for kids to exchange books and feel good about sharing," Xu says.

"It helps to help."

Zhangjiagang's "literary city" ambitions started in 2012.

It was a movement that surveyed readers' frequency and volumes. It incorporated Zhangjiagang's entire lending system and encouraged book clubs.

The city has invested 3.25 billion yuan ($495 million) annually in new books for public libraries since 2012.

Zhangjiagang currently contains 1.5 books per resident, the municipal government reports.

The library has also built over 30 24-hour self-service branches downtown and in the countryside.

It was honored as one of China's publishing industry's best libraries in 2014. Its county and village offshoots won national and provincial awards.

Paper books remain mainstream.

But the city also gives free e-book vouchers for mobile devices.

Perhaps teetering tots will soon read those.

Their elder peers already do.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn