Book banks: free books for school and university students

At the University of Roma Tre, the following have been created: shelves of Book sharing/bookcrossing where students can:

• leave books that you no longer use
• take free books left by other students
• find also university textbooks useful for exams or thesis

These shelves are located in various areas of the university (reading rooms, corridors, campus libraries). Students can check out a book free of charge and, if they wish, leave another in its place.

In practice it works like this:

• a student finishes an exam
• leave the manual on the shelf
• another student takes it and uses it to study.

This system reduces the cost of university books and encourages sharing among students.

Another case is that of the Bocconi University, in Milan, whose Book sofa It is located within the university campus. It is a space where students can leave books and take others for free. and donated books receive a special stamp to indicate that they are books “on the road” among the students.

In practice it works like this:

• a student brings a book he no longer uses
• he leaves it in the bookcrossing space
• another student can take it and use it.

In the UK, there are “Book banks” inside the food banks (food banks), where volunteers offer free books to users, also creating moments of conversation and cultural exchange.

Cover photo from https://www.bookbank.it