The Ohio State University Area Studies Centers’ Free Little Library is officially open for business. The library is a collaboration between the Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, East Asian Studies Center, and the Middle East Studies Center, and features books for all levels in various foreign languages. Located next to the fireplace in Crane Cafe (found within Hagerty Hall), the library is open to all who wish to improve their reading skills in a second language.

The official opening of the library occurred on January 18th, with a dedication from Leila Vieira, the Assistant Director of the Center for Latin American Studies. Vieria invited faculty members to donate books, which will be fitted with bookplates urging their safe return to Hagerty. The dedication was followed by a small ceremony that featured undergraduate and graduate students reading passages in Spanish, Korean, Russian, Polish, Quechua, Portuguese, and Serbo-Croatian. The group of speakers included three FLAS Fellows, and they read from works in translations as well as from pieces in their original language.

Area Studies Centers interns Maggie Lindner and Anna Carli followed up with Sofia Bachman, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, after the opening. Bachman read a passage from the Polish children’s book Bromba, which has also been adapted as a TV series. When asked how to stay immersed in a language, she suggested practicing each day with a language partner. She also said that listening to music and watching TV in the target language is a good way to have fun and stay engaged. The Free Little Library is also an accessible and convenient opportunity to become more immersed in a language, just make sure to bring your book back!