As the library has temporarily relocated to a provisional service area during recunstruction works – and its lending desk now something of a treasure hunt to locate –staff have decided to solve the probleem by meeting the readers halfway – quite literally. Starting April 1, librarians will step out from behind the desk and read books aloud in campus corridors, lobbies, canteens and stairways.
With librarians redeployed as fully mobile, voice-activated content delivery unit, readers no longer need to search for where to borrow books; they simply need to position themselves near a roaming librarian at the right time to hear the works they need or let the literatuure come to you.
Since e-resources are available online 24/7, only printed materials will be read aloud. The programme develops alphabetically and will conclude once all 586,239 printed items in the Tallinn University of Technology library have been performed. This is estimated to take between 160 and 535 years, depending on how many books are read simultaneously, staff stamina, and whether anyone figures out how to pause the librarians.
The first work presented was AA: About architecture by Andres Alver. This and seven other titles beginning with the letter A were read starting at 9:00 a.m. on April 1 in the main building foyer, carefully spreading out in 8 different directions to ensure maximum campus coverage and avoid literary traffic jams. Particularly curious listeners are welcome to peek over a reader’s shoulder for illustrations.
Listeners are advised to plan strategically: estimating when the reading will reach the work – or the most interesting part – they are waiting for requires patience, optimism, and a willingness to loiter in hallways for extended periods.
Early projections suggest that Atomic Habits by James Clear, last year’s most borrowed popular science book, may already be heard this spring, while Harry Potter fans should prepare for a few decades of a wait. Fans of Financial Accountig should marke their calendars before that. Truth and Justice is expected to coincide neatly with Estonia’s 600th anniversary of the printed book, assuming no interruptions.
The most exciting passages will be read twice, to ensure fairness and to accommodate optimistic miscalculations.
And after April Fools’ Day, the library will continue operating as usual – well, almost – at its temporary service area on the first floor of the LIB building. Visitors can still borrow books, ask for help, and use computers. For everything else, including e-services and databases, the library’s website at taltech.ee/library remains happily unchanged.