Keelung, Taiwan :: A conversation with Brad C.-H. Shih, Director of Taoyuan Public Library
Earlier this month, Doulos Hope had the pleasure of receiving a donation of books from the Taoyuan Public Library in Keelung, Taiwan. It’s partnerships like these that strengthen the vision and local impact of sharing knowledge, help, and hope among port communities and beyond.
Director of Taoyuan Public Library, Brad C.-H. Shih shared his excitement of having the opportunity to collaborate with the ship: “We strive to promote reading through our collections of books and community events that we host. In this way we are very much the same.”
The roles of libraries in promoting reading
Ensuring books are easily accessible is of the highest importance both to GBA Ships and to the Taoyuan Public Library. Due to the rise of digital media, it is much harder now more than ever, to encourage reading among children. Brad C.-H. Shih shares, “Nowadays, people are glued to their screens, even young children. We want to offer them an alternative: books.”
Community engagement and cultural programmes
Similar to Doulos Hope’s cultural exchange community events with her international crew, the Taoyuan Public Library also reaches out to the community through a range of events and activities. For example, they host exhibitions and immersive nature experiences. One community initiative in the southern part of Taoyuan draws on its practice of tea ceremonies. “We teach students how to pick and prepare tea, connecting them with Taiwan’s traditions,” Brad C.-H. Shih shares.
These programmes are created in an effort to foster a love of reading from a young age through the exhibition displays, encouraging children to see reading as a leisurely undertaking, rather than in the context of academic competition.
GBA Ships is extremely grateful for the partnership of Taoyuan Public Library and looks forward to a continued relationship with Taiwan’s port cities and libraries.
If you’re interested in partnering alongside us in the vision of sharing knowledge, help and hope please click the link here. Thank you!