STOCKHOLM: The high literacy rate makes reading as a die hard habit among the inhabitants of Sweden. The Swedes love to read literature in many forms. The strong library network at Sweden’ capital city Stockholm makes it easier for anyone to go close to books. Stockholm is built on 14 islands in between late Malaren and Baltic sea.
Going by the inaccessibility of some islands away from the main city centre in Stockholm, the city libraries are reaching out to the inhabitants of the remotely situated Stockholm Archipelago(extensive group of islands)in providing them books to read.

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This was made possible with Book Boat or floating library system which was first conceived by librarian Elise Adelsköld in 1953 when the library boat its first journey to the islands. The service has been running in different formats since then.
Many of the islanders keep on waiting for the day when the boat arrives. Some of the islanders are visiting the boat library for over 30 years and have grown grey hair while they had started getting books while in childhood.
Initially the Stockholm Regional library took the responsibility for carrying out floating library which continued for many years. In 2018 the Norrtälje municipal library got the responsibility and now co-ordinates the service together with three other Stockholm municipalities, all of which have inhabitants on islands in the archipelago. Norrtälje along with Värmdö, Österåker and Haninge and with the support and additional funding from the regional library, is running the service now for over a year.