Adopt a Book, Kawasaki Reading Room provides free reading materials

Japanese books on display at the Kawasaki Reading Room’s Adopt A Book event on Friday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by Izzy Lewis

The Kawasaki Reading Room provided free books to students on Friday, Oct. 25 during their Adopt A Book event. The reading room is located on the third floor of the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. 

The Kawasaki Reading Room, which is supported by Kawasaki Motors, has existed on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s campus for 32 years. The library has roughly 7,000 books, DVDs, magazines and comics. The room is also part of the UNL library system, meaning any student can access the materials. 

​​”It's just hard to obtain Japanese books in the Midwest because we don't have Japanese bookstores, and then it's very expensive to purchase everything,” Madoka Wayoro, director of the Kawasaki Reading Room, said. 

The room makes special orders occasionally, but relies heavily on donations. Books are donated by the community, and Wayoro said some people drive up from Kansas to donate. Donations also come from a connection the reading room has at the Mie Prefecture in Japan and from Kawasaki Motors.

“(The Kawasaki motors family is) about to go back (to Japan), but don't want to take all the books, so they want to know they're in good hands, (with the) students and community,” Wayoro said. 

Every book up for adoption is a duplicate of one already in the library. Wayoro said she always asks those who donate for permission to share their books with students if the library already has a copy. 

The event offered around 60 Japanese books with some in English and most in Japanese. Some popular translated titles were the “Harry Potter” series and “Lord of the Rings.” There were also magazines, cookbooks and dictionaries, among others. 

“We are here to be the bridge of the university community and the Japanese community,” Wayoro said. 

The reading room is mainly for those studying Japanese, but it also seeks to provide education for anyone looking to understand Japanese art and culture. Every week there are conversation tables, promoting the learning of the Japanese language. 

The Adopt A Book event happened concurrently with the weekly Tea Time Friday at the Kawasaki Reading Room. Every Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., fresh teas and snacks are given out for anyone who is interested in trying a taste of Japan.

On Thursday, Oct. 31, the reading room is hosting a Halloween Arts and Crafts event from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Oasis Lounge of the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. On Friday, Nov. 1, they will also be hosting Animecon ‘24 in the Platte River Room of the Student Union, featuring educational speakers, trivia and cosplay. 

Published in the Daily Nebraskan, read here.