Relief for the Soul: Support the Digital Library for Evacuees

Nearly 300,000 Israelis from northern and southern border towns have been evacuated from their homes. Many of them have witnessed and survived unspeakable violence. In cramped conditions, full of uncertainty, and far from home, they need a mental break from reality.  “A library is a hospital for the mind.”- Alvin Toffler In times of unfathomable pain, literature has the power to provide escape and mental relief. Israeli refugees don’t have access to their own books. Libraries from border towns are closed or evacuated. Some have been damaged by rockets or burnt to the ground by terrorists, like the library in Sderot.   Access to Israel’s digital library catalog requires membership at a local library branch, which many displaced Israelis do not currently have. To provide a solution to this problem, the Israeli Center for Libraries (ICL) launched the “Heroes of Southern and Northern Israel” digital library branch to give displaced Israelis free and immediate access to thousands of e-books, audiobooks, and magazines through the “Libby” app. Access to the digital library can help evacuees turn their phones into a portal to the world of reading, instead of just a device for scrolling news and media that only worsens their mental states. Since the war’s outbreak, use of the Libby app has increased threefold across Israel, leading to long wait times for popular titles. In addition, libraries that are closed or destroyed have no way to pay their subscription fees. The ICL has contributed significant resources to subsidize these fees, but cannot keep up with the demand alone.  Give evacuees the gift of escape into the world of books. Donate today to support the “Heroes of Southern and Northern Israel” digital library branch.