Rasht, Iran — In Rasht, a city in the northern province of Gilan in Iran, where the streets are always busy, one man is actually driving change. A local cab driver named Sahel Filsoof has turned his shuttle car into a mobile library as a kind way to encourage his customers to read.
Filsoof’s project has basically 50 books stacked in his car. The books are on many topics like history, kids books and psychology. His goal is to make books easy to find in daily drives.
A long time ago, Filsoof had the idea to turn his car into a mobile bookcase. He told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) about it in an interview. “I thought that reading books might give people something to think about, and I also thought that by doing this, I could encourage people to read books.”
Filsoof says that most of his “library taxi” fans are women and young guys who love to read the small collection while they ride. Some people even ask to keep reading a book they started on a previous trip, which Filsoof says is a very satisfying experience. For him, it was a sign of success when a traveler asked for the book he or she had read on the last ride so that they could continue reading.
Filsoof got in touch with public library directors all over Gilan Province because he wanted to make his mobile library more useful and reach more people. He got help with his efforts when he got more books to add to his growing collection and make it better and more varied.
The news of Filsoof’s project has reached both local and foreign audiences. News organizations like IRNA and Xinhua have praised his work as a great example of grassroots reading campaigning.
In a world where smartphones and other digital distractions are becoming more common, Sahel Filsoof’s moving library is a quiet but strong reminder that all it takes to make a difference is a good book and a ride.
