SHANGHAI PHONE BOOTHS TRANSFORMED INTO MINI LIBRARIES

SHANGHAI PHONE BOOTHS TRANSFORMED INTO MINI LIBRARIES

A number of phone booths around Shanghai have been transformed into mini-libraries, complete with a range of reading materials, video screens, phone-charging ports and more. Some of the booths which launched last week feature materials to take away, notepads to leave little messages on, and an eclectic range of books including Chinese and international authors. They also have security cameras fitted inside to discourage would-be book thieves and come with USB ports, so at least you can charge your phone while you flick through an old-fangled paper book. They also come with WIFI, in case you want to skip the print media bit altogether. This is the first such official move that we’ve heard of in China however and the Shanghai authorities apparently plan to roll it out to more than 250 phone booths, with future installations reportedly set to include ebooks and tablet computers.