Core77

In the south of Thailand, in the small town of Surathani, there is a public library directly on the pier which I have 'discovered' while waiting for the night boat to an island. It is run voluntarily by a couple (with the help of their daughter) and despite the fact that it exists already since five years and is under high demand by the locals (since there is no other library in town), it still doesn't get any governmental support. I was really thrilled by the welcoming atmosphere of the place and the idealism of its owners - this is service design at its best! Besides the fairly big selection of books and magazines in various languages (I found two interesting books in English language to take with me to read on the island) they also offer painting and music workshops for the local kids, plus the place seems a popular social hangout for the locals. The only income to run the place is by selling coffee and tea plus the odd donation of foreign travelers. Their book stock is gained solely from donated books - so in case you would like to send some over we can provide the mailing address.

Please click for more pictures!