After seven years of operation, a small non-profit public library is calling for book lovers and others to help prolong the life of Bangkok’s rare space for knowledge and the arts.
Narawan Pathomvat, founder of the Reading Room, a small public library on Silom Road in central Bangkok, told Prachatai she is now trying to raise funds to maintain the library.
The Reading Room
For the last seven years, the Reading Room has become a popular venue frequented by Thai intellectuals and book worms. The free public library houses various kinds of book as well as occasionally holding public discussions on social and political issues with no admission cost.
“It’s been seven years since it opened, so a lot of things in the library are broken which is normal,” said Narawan.
Although it is not easy running a non-profit like this, Narawan works at other jobs to finance the library.
Narawan Pathomvat
When asked if she ever thought of giving up the library, she told Prachatai “Yes, that was after the [2014] coup d’état when soldiers visited the library and cancelled events or came to monitor speakers at seminars.”
Narawan said that she is still determined to run the library as long as she can, adding that it is one of the few venues in Bangkok where people can come to exchange knowledge freely.
People who wish to support the Reading Room can transfer donations to this account:
Narawan Pathomvat
Account Number: 397-1-28300-6
Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), northern Sathorn Branch, Bangkok
Directions to the Reading Room