Lord Of The Books: Bibliophile Trash Collector Saves 25,000 Books — He Creates Free Library

Oct 21, 2020 by apost team

For many people, books are a sacred thing. They aren't merely represented by the information contained within. Rather, the book itself has a soul. A story. A purpose.

Jose Alberto Gutierrez would almost certainly agree with this assessment. Guitierrez lives in the capital city of Bogota, Colombia. Working as a sanitation worker, he has given himself the self-described degree of "PhD. in Poverty." Although the title may be tongue-in-cheek, it speaks of a more serious mission.

Over two decades ago, Jose was sorting through trash when he found a discarded copy of "Anna Karenina," a Tolstoy classic, reports Gulf News. He remembers feeling shocked and hurt that someone would throw away such a meaningful book. It isn't just paper. Rather, it's literature. He rescued the book from the trash and took it home lovingly. He wouldn't know it until later, but this moment was set to be the beginning of the rest of Jose's life.

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As a sanitation worker, Jose spends his days rummaging through the waste of others. As a father of three children, he was upset to see how many books are thrown away. Many rich families in Colombia simply discard their children's school books once the class is over. Many of these books had barely been read. Realizing that this was an opportunity, Jose began collecting these books and storing them in his home.

Over time, this pastime transformed into a passion. To date, Jose has collected over 25,000 books. With the impending storage problem ramping up, Jose transformed the bottom floor of his home into a library. In this sacred space, there is only one firm rule: Everything is free.

Every day, dozens of local children come to this free library to check out books to help with their education. This place has become such an important resource to the community that Jose's efforts are no longer solo. Rather, other community members and colleagues have begun collecting all of the discarded books they find to donate to the cause.

The impact of this library is immeasurable. Originally, most people referred to it as "Jose's house" or "la biblioteca de basura," meaning "garbage library." But a much more reverent title is now used to refer to this wealth of knowledge. It is locally known as "La Fuerza de la Palabras," meaning "Strength in Words." This shows just how impactful this project has been.

Gutierrez has big dreams for the space. He said, "I hope this library will help literacy in the children of this community. They don't have money, but they can have knowledge. They deserve this." Bogota has many beautiful libraries, but access to these buildings is not equal. The majority of libraries are in the northern areas of the city where the more affluent members live. For areas like La Nueva Gloria where Jose calls home, there isn't a single official library.

From one man's vision, this library has become a community effort. Although it is still in his home, his family and other members of the community have become instrumental in collecting books, organizing the library, and dealing with various administrative duties. As the old adage says, it takes a village. According to Gulf News, Jose even delivers books to local impoverished schools, having given much-needed resources to over 240 such institutions.

This story of a sanitation worker seeing how the waste of others could benefit his community is a fantastic reminder of how a little bit of insight and hard work can make a huge difference. What's your favorite story of a community member taking it upon themselves to make a difference? Talk about it in the comments, and don't forget to pass this article to all of your friends.