Intellectual refreshment at the pub

In Nagykovacsi, Hungary (near Budapest) an ex-librarian turned publican offers patrons the chance to have a drink, sit with friends and colleagues and enjoy reading. It’s a library with a difference – there are no registration or borrowing fees and the library works on a ‘bring one, take one’ basis. It all began with some controversy as the village already has a public library, and it was feared that the pub library would attract more people; this has proven to be the case. The pub library attracts people who would otherwise be unlikely to use the public library, and has been deemed a complete success.

The books have already come in handy to solve a pub debate over the winner of the first world cup. The diversity of the collection includes sports encyclopedias, historical works right through to bibliographies.

Read more about this initiative project.