The young engrossed in books at Booku Community Library.
Couple’s community library in Gelang Patah also offers art workshops, free tuition classes
TUCKED in a commercial area in Gelang Patah, Johor, is a community library set up by a couple whose dream is to nurture the love of reading.
Booku Community Library director Lee Chien Yeen said the not-for-profit facility was set up in December 2023 after finding a need for a comfortable space in the area for children and adults to read and learn.
“When our children were young, my husband, who worked in Singapore, and I used to take them to community libraries around the island republic to read and borrow books.
“That was where they inculcated their love of reading. It was also inspiring to see people of all ages spending time there.
“My husband had always harboured the dream of setting up a community library back home.
“It took us several months to prepare and establish the facility along with our partner Joseph Lee,” Chien Yeen told StarMetro.
They also visited libraries in Johor Baru as well as Emerald Library in Rawang, Selangor, to learn how to set up and run such a facility.
Students revising their school work.
Chien Yeen said Booku currently had more than 100 active members who could walk in to read the books or borrow them for free.
The library is also stocked with about 5,000 books of various languages, mostly donated by the public.
“When we started, we spent our own money to purchase books, then slowly accumulated more through public donations.
“We are grateful to our neighbours who helped us with inventory in the beginning, as well as local residents who have supported us all the way,” said Chien Yeen, a former management accountant who now dedicates her time to the library alongside a full-time employee.
To further make the library a community space, she said they started holding free tuition classes for primary school pupils on weekends besides arts and crafts classes.
“Some of the visitors use our space for talks and group discussions.
“It makes us happy to also see parents starting to read while they accompany their children to the library or while waiting for tuition classes to end,” she added.
Wei Yu finds the library quiet and comfortable as he prepares for his SPM exam.
Chu Wei Yu, a Form Five student who started visiting the library in June last year, finds the place quiet and comfortable to prepare for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
“I also spend time here to destress by reading books related to myths and legends, which are my favourite topics.
“I started reading regularly during the Covid-19 movement control order period.
“I explored e-books and discovered my interest in the genre (myths and legends) as well as books on ancient history,” he said.
Wei Yu added that he also brought along his 10-year-old brother to the library for a soap-making workshop and free tuition classes.
Another visitor, Year Four pupil Muhammad Adam Farish Masud Shek said he usually read books on Minecraft at the library to improve his skills in the game.
“The game requires the player to build stuff and go on adventures, so it is fun to learn new tips and tricks to apply when I am playing.
“My classmate told me about the library and I asked my mum to bring me here,” he said, adding that he usually spent about two to three hours on each visit.
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Kee Yee Chen said she brought her three children to the library weekly after finding out about it.
“I thought it was a good place to encourage them to read, since kids these days are always on their electronic devices.
“After visiting a few times, they started asking me when they could borrow books again, which is a good sign,” said the clerk.
Kee also hopes more community libraries could be set up in different areas to allow more people access to books.
The library, located at Medan Nusa Perintis 3, Taman Nusa Perintis, Gelang Patah, is open from 12pm to 8pm, Wednesdays to Sundays.
