Book rental shops dwindling in Arakan State

By Admin 05 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
5 August 2023, Sittwe

Many rental bookshops in Arakan State have shut down in what is being described as a negative consequence of the proliferation of internet access and the advance of digital technologies.
 
Once popular in many parts of Myanmar, rental bookshops — allowing readers to take books out on loan for a small fee — are said to have begun dying off in the 2000s.
 
Rental bookshops in Sittwe, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Manaung and Myebon townships have closed as there are few renters these days.
 
“Not many people read books. Technologies have advanced, and people have become less interested in books,” said U Tet Thit Aung, who has closed down his rental bookshop ‘Pan Khaing Khaing’ in Sittwe. “People in Arakan State are traditionally less interested in reading. So, rental bookshops are struggling to survive.”
 
The exact number of rental bookstores that have shut down across Arakan State is unknown. But in Sittwe, only two such bookstores are open today, while there used to be approximately 20 rental bookshops in the state capital. The two remaining bookshops charge between 100 kyats and K300 to rent a book.
 
Some 10 years ago, people were renting more than 100 books per day on average at each rental bookshop in Sittwe, according to shopkeepers. It is only around five books per day now, they say. 
 
U Maung Tun Hlaing from Bauktheesu Ward in Sittwe, who runs the ‘Naing’ bookstore and rentals, said: “Only a few people buy and rent books. People have barely rented books since smartphones became widely available. Children have to focus on school lessons, and they have no time to read books of general knowledge.”
 
Ma Chan Chan, who has shut down her ‘Shwe Pyi Soe’ book rental shop in Kyauktaw Township, said: “In the past, people rented more than 100 books per day on average. Then, it was less than 20 books. After the internet became widely accessible, people started to use Facebook. So, people were not renting books.”
 
Meanwhile, small libraries in rural parts of Arakan State are facing the same challenges. Some have closed down as the number of readers has declined.
 
Ma Tin Htay, from Yartike Village in Pauktaw Township, remains an advocate for reading despite the numerous distractions available via the internet, saying: “People in Arakan State need to read books, which can broaden their horizons, and give them fresh insights.”