Listen&Learn: The library of discarded books

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

A library in Turkey that rescues books that have been thrown away.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• sanitation worker: a person whose job is to collect garbage
• salvage: to save something before it is damaged, lost, or thrown away
• discard: to get rid of an unwanted item
• resident: someone who lives in a certain area
• donate: to give something to a fund, charity, or other public cause
• abandoned: deserted; left alone

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

In 2017, a of sanitation workers in Ankara, Turkey began to collect books that had been thrown away. Their goal was to create a small supply of books for other to borrow from. The workers would salvage any discarded books they found while collecting garbage, in order to make sure that other people would get to read them. While this collection began as a supply for the sanitation department’s workers, the story of the discarded books was brought to the attention of the . Soon, residents of Ankara began donating their books to the sanitation department’s collection, instead of throwing them away. As the once-small book collection started to grow, the sanitation workers decided to open a public made up of unwanted books. Today, this library is located in an abandoned brick factory, where there are now chairs and tables so that people can sit and read. It contains thousands of different books, both and non-fiction. In fact, the library has become so successful that schools in Ankara now borrow books from it to use as learning materials.

Comprehension questions

1. The people who originally started collecting books were

teachers

sanitation workers

librarians

Correct! Wrong!

The people who originally started collecting books were sanitation workers.

2. The collection began as

a supply of books for the workers to borrow from

a library open to the public

a charity for residents to donate books to

Correct! Wrong!

The collection began as a supply of books for the workers to borrow from.

3. The library is now located in

the sanitation department

one of Ankara's public schools

an abandoned factory

Correct! Wrong!

The library is now located in an abandoned factory.

Discussion/essay questions

1. What is the meaning of the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? How is this related to the article?

Transcript

In 2017, a group of sanitation workers in Ankara, Turkey began to collect books that had been thrown away. Their goal was to create a small supply of books for other employees to borrow from. The workers would salvage any discarded books they found while collecting garbage, in order to make sure that other people would get to read them. While this collection began as a supply for the sanitation department’s workers, the story of the discarded books was brought to the attention of the public. Soon, residents of Ankara began donating their books to the sanitation department’s collection, instead of throwing them away. As the once-small book collection started to grow, the sanitation workers decided to open a public library made up of unwanted books. Today, this library is located in an abandoned brick factory, where there are now chairs and tables so that people can sit and read. It contains thousands of different books, both fiction and non-fiction. In fact, the library has become so successful that schools in Ankara now borrow books from it to use as learning materials.

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Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

© EnglishClub.com

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10 comments

• Dori says:
  

  Different people have different interests.This is why that a precious book for someone is a trash for another one.

• taylor emily says:
  

  it’s very interesting, i can learn a lot of new words.
  Thanks very much.

• mojgan says:
  

  With thank for your useful texts , they are applicable for other sentence making and i owe you my improve in English language and you can’t imagine what a significant role your free education has in widespread English learning.best regards

• David says:
  

  Many items which had been discarded by some people could be useful for others. By reusing these objects, it is possible to protect the environment and to save money.

  That is excellent for everybody.

• Hafsa saeed says:
  

  This is very interesting story ,we are having a number of useless things at our homes,sometimes we feel that we should give these things to others ,at the same time we feel no,no no they will mind it and would not like to receive old things,that’s why we through all these things in garbage.surely there are some people who are in the bad need of these things.It is a high time to develop such systems that can save or recycle these kinds of useless things to save our resources.

• Tamador says:
  

  Correct this is a matter of recycling it is good idea.Also environmental conservation in stead of burning these book and increase of Carbon dioxide emissions,make use of the garbage.

• luis says:
  

  GREAT story !!! The sanitation worker wanted to improve the knowledges of another people who can’t buy a book

• gerard Le Roux says:
  

  What a lovely story! As an English teacher, I also find it an excellent exercise for beginners, as it includes idioms, vocabulary, as well as a super story line.
  Thank you English Club! You are fantastic!

  Gérard Le Roux

• Irma says:
  

  For Sang Phan… Yes,it very nice story about good people. Thank you for nice idioms.

• Sang Phan says:
  

  What an interesting story! In our life there are many things of which we want to get rid are the others’ needful ones. We have an idiom “the old of one is the new of another “. This is the same with “one man’s trash is another’s treasure “ I guess.
  I think the library of discarded books in Ankara, Turkey is a quite human symbol to be made as many as possible everywhere.