The old phone booths along Beach Street in George Town, Penang, outside the Balai Polis Lebuh Pantai, were given a colourful upgrade and transformed into public mini-libraries.

This is much needed as the old phone booth is just an eye-sore! 

The old abandoned phone booth.Image source via Twitter/Joshuawsz

The upgrades and refurbishment was an initiative by Penggerak Komuniti Muda (PEKA) with MBPP to encourage the culture of reading among the Malaysian public. 

"The idea came about in 2019," said Joshua Woo, PEKA executive director. "They (the phone booths) were unsightly at the heart of the George Town heritage core zone. So I thought, why not transform them into something iconic?" 

Instagramable mini-libraries along Beach Street, Georgetown, Penang! Image source via Facebook/PenangFoodie

PEKA is a youth empowerment program under the state government that empowers youths' social mobility and cultivates reading habits. Before the pandemic, PEKA managed 37 free tuition centres across Penang and helped 1,400 students who could not afford private tuition.

In each booth, there are books in various genres, Penang Monthly publications, and Buletin Mutiara newspapers.

You could also drop your pre-loved books or other reading materials at the library there. 

A cool shed and a place to relax. Image source via penangfoodie

The multipurpose mini-libraries provide a temporary shed, a place to sit, and a location to charge your phone (just in case)! There is also built-in lighting for night reading.