Benalmádena adds selection of Ukrainian books to its library network shelves

The municipal library in Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmádena, has added Ukrainian books to its ‘other languages’ section, which now includes books in thirteen different languages in addition to Spanish. The town hall said the library has incorporated around one hundred Ukrainian books, “thanks to the close collaboration between library users, staff and the council”.

This initiative, which includes children's and adult's books, was proposed by an active library user, Anikina Khrystyna, with the collaboration of the Ukrainian consulate in Malaga, who suggested creating a collection through donations from Ukrainians living in Benalmádena and other parts of the province of Malaga.

Culture councillor Jésica Trujillo explained that since 2011, the Benalmádena library network has held the recognition of ‘intercultural libraries’, awarded by the Andalusian regional government - a distinction granted to only four libraries in the province of Malaga.

“The other languages' section of our library is particularly noteworthy, housing materials in English, French, German, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Arabic, Polish, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Ukrainian,” the councillor said.

Trujillo added that this is “a free and essential service” for residents from other countries who “play a prominent role in our library network.”

She added that books borrowed from the foreign language section typically account for around ten per cent of the library's total annual loans. This figure reflects the number of foreign readers registered in the Benalmádena library network, which currently stands at 10,923 users - representing just over 27 per cent of all registered readers in the network.