كتابخانه – η βιβλιοθήκη – المكتبة – la bibliothèque
“Libraries can definitely lead you astray in the best possible way.”
Ali Smith, Public Library and Other Stories
ECHO library sessions typically run between 1 and 2.5 hours. Anyone above the age of 13 is welcome to borrow a book. All we ask is for a name and, where possible, a phone number. Book loans are for two weeks, but we remain flexible and many of our regular borrowers will keep books a little longer.
Sessions
Timetable – جدول – Horaire
| يوم الإثنين/Monday/دوشنبه/lundi | يوم الثلاثاء/Tues/سهشنبه/mardi | يوم الإثنين/Wednesday/چهارشنبه/mercredi | يوم الإثنين/Thursday/پنجشنبه/jeudi |
| Malakasa/ مالاكاسا 1-3pm | Khora kitchen/ مطبخ خورا 1-2.30pm | Lavrio town camp / كمب لافريو (مدينة) 2-4pm | |
| Oinofyta /اينوفيتا 4-5.30pm temporarily on hold | Minors’ shelter, aspropyrgos 3-4.30pm | Welcommon hostel/ “هوتيل “ويلكومون 3-4pm | Lavrio country camp / كمب لافريو خارج المدينة 4.30-5.30pm |
| Ritsona/ ريتسونا 6-7.30pm (every two weeks) | Korinthos/كورينثوس temporarily on hold | Victoria Square Project 4.15- 5.30pm |
For more information on sessions and locations contact us at: contact@echo-greece.org.
Connections not collections
Our library adapts to each place we visit, according to the needs of our different community groups. Sometimes we park up for a quick half hour of loans and returns. Other times we will run a session for two or more hours, drinking tea, collecting books, chatting to friends and running other activities. In general, at our library sessions you will see most of the following:
Books
- a collection of several thousand books in Arabic, Farsi, Kurmanji, Sorani, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, Bangla, English, French and German
- high quality fiction promoting the best in mother tongue literature and translation
- up to date non-fiction covering subjects including politics, history, philosophy, science and sociology
- check out our Book of the Week every Monday on our social media to explore our catalogue!
Language-learning
- self-study resources for learning Greek, English and other European languages
- language-learning textbooks
- dictionaries
- English easy-readers
- bilingual books with parallel texts
- Informal group conversation classes
Community Space
- a safe space to meet friends, study and/or relax
- friendly volunteers and people with language skills for intercultural mediation
- tea (sometimes!)
- free wifi
- signposting for other services in Athens
- a place to run workshops/meetings and other creative activities
Children
Although most of our book collection is for adults, children are certainly some of our most enthusiastic library fans! In many of the sites we visit we work to offer structured sessions for children to develop their social, motor, concentration and reading skills in preparation for integration into a formal education system. We are currently teamed up with Pili Pala, a small UK-based charity who help us in this work.
Anything else? In the past ECHO has facilitated many different activities, from guitar lessons, tea sessions, film nights and circus performances. We are always keen to collaborate with people who think they can offer something along with the library, from circus shows to music lessons and creative writing workshops.
Study with ECHO
Want to study coding, business, history, science, even academic English? Coursera has something for you. Choose from thousands of professional online courses from universities and institutions throughout the world. Study in your own time and for free! You can even come to the library and use one of our tablets to study if you like (See our timetable above). Contact us and we’ll sign you up through the library.
ECHO mobile library 