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Date: 2/23/2023
AGAWAM — Ayla Alkan’s dream to create a Turkish section of books at the Agawam Public Library just became a reality.
A group of about 50 people — many Turkish families — helped Alkan celebrate this new collection of books at a grand opening on Feb. 12. A family resource coordinator for Agawam’s public schools, she previously had worked as a paraprofessional at the Early Childhood Center for several years.
Alkan came up with the “seed of an idea” about two years ago, but ran into a delay when the library closed for almost a year for renovations. While it was an “unfortunate circumstance” it didn’t deter her.
“My focus was more on helping to get these books into the hands of readers. If necessary, we would have replaced any damaged books. I don’t give up easily,” said the 40-year-old mother of two. She began organizing the section last November, completing it just days before the grand opening.
“I’m a book lover. Reading is an important part of my life. This collection will not only benefit many Turkish people who live in this area, but also raise awareness within the community at large about the richness of Turkish culture and opportunities that exist to engage with that culture,” said Alkan.
The collection has about 300 books, 70 percent of which were donated by Alkan. It includes novels, biographies, child psychology, autobiographies, health and wellness, history, philosophy, politics, self-help, spiritual writings, children’s books, historical fiction, fiction and nonfiction.
Most books are by Turkish authors, and were purchased by Alkan during family visits in Turkey over the past five years. Alkan, who has lived in Agawam since 2013, wants to add more books to improve and expand the collection.
She said it’s a challenge to get Turkish books in this country, because of the expense to ship them from Turkey. Her sister, who still lives in Turkey, is collecting more books that Alkan’s friends will deliver to the library following a trip to that country.
When Alkan announced on social media that she was donating her books to the library, she received messages outside the local area and outside the country from people who wanted to contribute to her collection.
She heard from a man from New York who donated his books and shipped them to the library. A woman called her from Germany and wanted to contribute, but they determined it would be too expensive to ship the books.
“She was so inspired by my project that she donated the books to her local library. These messages made me very happy,” said Alkan.
A famous Turkish author, Alisan Kapaklikaya, also reached out to congratulate Alkan on her project. He donated all his books to the section, signing each one with the message, “For the Agawam Public Library Turkish Section Readers.” He’s also planning to visit the library.
In addition, Alkan met an online Turkish bookstore owner on Instagram who sells books through social media and online at “reasonable prices.” He lent his support by donating some books to the project.
The seller also pledged to provide an extra 20 percent discount to buyers who tell him the books are for the Agawam library. His Instagram account is @turkishbookstous, and his website is www.booksrelated.com.
Many Turkish people living in the area came to the grand opening. Janser Bayir was pleased to see the new collection.
“I’m very happy to see this.” said the Agawam resident who moved from Turkey more than three years ago.
Bayir added that the collection is good for children of Turkish descent: “It’s important for our kids to see books in their native language in the library. They are learning English, but this will help them learn to speak and read in their native language. It will be especially helpful when they talk on the phone with their grandparents in Turkey.”
Mehmet and Sakine Yesilbas, Agawam residents who are parents of three school-age children, also attended the grand opening. They called it a “a beautiful opportunity” that’s crucial to families like theirs who want to keep their cultural values alive and pass them on to their children.
“This project will make a significant contribution to bringing together people of Turkish origin who are becoming a growing community in Agawam and Greater Springfield,” said Mehmet Yesilbas. “Such a project will support Turkish children who were born in the United States, but have difficulties preserving their mother tongue.”
Library Director Nancy Siegel said she “jumped at the opportunity” to create a section of Turkish books using Alkan’s collection.
“I knew the library would never be able to create such a collection on its own,” Siegel explained.
She said the fact that Alkan was willing to give these books to the library so they could be stamped and barcoded to make them library property was enough to convince her that Alkan was serious and really wanted others to have access to the collection.
Siegel added that Turkish readers throughout Western Massachusetts will be able to borrow these books, using interlibrary loans. She said the library also has a small collection of Spanish and Russian language items.
Alkan said her goal is expand the section into a multicultural area.
“There are 30 different languages spoken in Agawam. It’s my dream to expand the collection to include contributions from these many and varied cultures. We could sponsor activities to draw library patrons who would benefit from diverse presentations and offerings from these cultures,” she said.
This article was edited Feb. 23, 2023, to correct the spelling of Ayla Alkan's name.