The City of Cape Town’s Central Library is awaiting confirmation from Guinness World Records that its book domino chain has officially broken the current world record.
A large crowd of onlookers gathered at the Central Library on Tuesday as organisers managed to consecutively knock down 2 528 painstakingly-placed books in order to break the current record of 2 131 books, which is held by Seattle Public Library in the USA.
The event was held as part of the build-up to the Open Book Festival, which runs from 7-11 September 2013. Organisers said the record attempt was held to draw attention to the festival and the important role of books and reading.
The team behind the successful book domino chain devoted many hours to practising, and spent five hours on Monday setting up the books on the library floor, even though unstable books resulted in many false starts. The first attempt on Tuesday failed when, about half way through the domino chain, one book failed to knock over the next one. The second attempt, which was started by poet Toni Stuart, was successful. It will take up to two months to receive official confirmation from Guinness World Records.
“This record-setting book domino chain was a source of great fun for the staff, friends and members of the Central Library, especially as libraries are often seen as serious places. We are working hard to break the mould and develop libraries as welcoming places where communities can come together to exchange ideas and experiences. The Central Library is certainly a pioneer in this regard,” says Alderman Belinda Walker, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Special Projects.
The Open Book Festival showcases the best of South African as well as international writing, and will feature more than 100 authors and events. Members of the public who attend Open Book Festival events are encouraged to bring books to donate to the festival’s library project, which is organised in partnership with Equal Education. This year an entire stocked library including computers and the services of a librarian will be donated to Westridge High School in Mitchells Plain.
National Book Week will be held the preceding week, from 2-7 September 2013.
For more information visit the Open Book Festival website or the City’s Library Information Services website.
