The 89th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, or WLIC 2025, was held from Aug 18 to 22 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The congress is the most international professional and trade event for the library and information services sector.

The Anji County Library — located in Anji county, Huzhou city, East China Zhejiang province — presented its innovative project named "Rural Library: Reading in the Heart of Nature".

The project was recognized as one of the 2025 IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award's Top 10 Most Creative Projects by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

The Rural Library project, part of Anji County Library's cultural tourism brand Reading in the Heart of Nature, is a new mobile service that is designed to meet the reading needs of rural students, tourists, and locals.

A very popular mobile library provides reading services in Anji county. [Photo/WeChat account: anjifb]

It offers a one-stop public cultural service model, integrating the issuing of library cards, book lending, consultations, digital resource promotions, and special activities.

The success of the project is rooted in a comprehensive reading service network that covers the county. Annually, the network serves over 1 million readers and delivers more than 30,000 books to rural areas.

Leveraging the local booming camping scene, the Anji County Library has creatively introduced a mobile service that combines camping with reading, allowing visitors to enjoy reading amid the picturesque landscape.