450

Arte Útil archive nr:

450

Initiator:

Arteam

Location:

Israel

Category:

pedagogical, politics, social

Users:

Activists, Politicians, students, children, migrants

Maintained by:

Tel Aviv Municipality and the Tel Aviv Yafo Centennial Committee, Pais – The Israeli Lottery Organization, The Israeli Center for Libraries, Users and ARTEAM.

Certification:

implemented

Duration:

1989 - ongoing

Arteam
-
The Garden Library

Description:

The project is managed by a group of volunteers, and it functions as an information centre for the foreign communities in Tel Aviv. The library serves people who suffer from socioeconomic deprivation, institutional neglect and the lack of art and cultural activities. The library promotes different art and educational programs for undocumented migrants living in the neighbourhood helping them to advocate for their rights in the context of the Israeli society. The library provides books for both adults and children in 16 different languages.

Goals:

To bring the library nearer to the people, that those who maintain illegal immigrant status would come without fear, that the library would not have a closed door or a guard at the entrance.

Beneficial Outcomes:

The librarians read to the children and help them with reading and writing—all in Hebrew, the language of their primary school education and the primary language in which they speak to each other. They run workshops and carry out various activities provided
The library is free of charge, it contains approximately 3,500 books in Mandarin Chinese, Amharic, Thai, Tagalog, Arabic, French, Spanish, Nepalese, Bengali, Hindi, Turkish, Romanian, Sinhala, Tigrinya, and English.

Images: