Bookseller to realize terror victim’s dream of mini urban libraries

Israel’s largest bookseller will implement the dream of terror victim Shlomit Krigman, who envisioned creating a system of mini urban libraries to encourage reading.

Steimatzky Books said it would implement the free, community-run initiative at bus stops across the country to honor her memory and her love of books, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Thursday.

“After hearing of Shlomit’s project, we decided to preserve her memory this way so that everyone can enjoy books and reading, just like she wanted,” the bookseller said, according the report.

Krigman sustained serious injuries during a stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement of Beit Horon on Monday and died of her wounds the following day. She was spending time with her grandparents in the settlement when she was attacked by Palestinian terrorist while shopping at a local grocery store.

She had recently completed her bachelors degree in industrial design at Ariel University, submitting an outline of her idea for her senior project.

“I want to return books to everyday life,” Krigman explained during an interview last year with Channel 10. “I want people to go back to that feeling of holding an actual book.”

Her sketches show small, covered shelves designed to be installed at bus stops or wrapped around electricity poles.

A sketch of Slomit Krigman’s idea for mini urban libraries. (Screen capture: YouTube)

Anyone can borrow a book while waiting for the bus, read it during the ride, and return it when done. Ideally, Krigman said, the mini libraries would be stocked with books donated by the local community.

The bereaved family of the 23-year-old welcomed the gesture, but did not officially respond to Steimatzky.

“She always tried to influence to read with her love of books,” her brother Dror told the newspaper.

Shlomit, he recalled, gave him a book for his last birthday. It’s a book he will read over and over again to remember her, he said.