EŞEKLİ KÜTÜPHANECİ MUSTAFA GÜZELGÖZ

THE STORY OF THE ASSOCIATED LIBRARY MUSTAFA GÜZELGÖZ

Mustafa Güzelgöz became the new officer, his appointment was released to the Tahsin Ağa Library Ürgüp as a librarian. The year is 1943. In those years, civil service was a very respected business. Everyone wants to give his daughter to the Officer, has a pension, has social security. The man of the government. He begins to work, enthusiastically awaits readers in the library; a few days pass, no incoming or outgoing. He talks to the public, tells the library, and calls for reading. Nobody will come. It reports the situation to the upper authorities.

The answer he received:

– Brother, sit down, do you get your salary regularly or not?

– I’m buying.

– So, what’s the mess, will your salary increase if the incoming or outgoing? You will get more trouble, nobody has come to that library for years.

Mustafa, 23 years old, young civil servant, thinks he will not be like this. Finally, an idea comes to mind and tells his wife immediately. “Are you crazy, sir?” says his wife, does that happen? But Mustafa is determined, he tries to do something, he tries, he insists. When his wife sees this closely, he accepts his opinion. It overcomes all obstacles at the state levels one by one and with difficulty. Because then, like now, “Oh, let’s not have a job. Whether you work or not, you get the same salary.

He barely convinces the bureaucrats with mustaches, ties, sullen faces, smells of cigarettes, who are not ashamed of Atatürk’s picture behind them, but who do not benefit their country for grams and take a donkey. He has two chests built. 180-200 books fit in two crates according to their thickness. “Book Iare Chest” is written on the chests. He loads the books on the donkey and the village starts to visit the village. He also postes an article in the library: “We open only on Mondays and Fridays.” The children in the village are surprised. An uncle who loaded a lot of books on the donkey, that strange man gives the books to the little hands of the children. Think, like Santa Claus. Santa Claus is a lie, Uncle Mustafa is real. He has donkeys instead of deers. Donkey is also more real, Uncle Mustafa.

“Children read these and change between you. Fifteen days later I will come on the same day. “Do not wear it, your friends in other villages will read it.”

Mustafa now stands at the library in Urgup for a day or two, and on other days he travels from village to village with his donkey Yüksel. Children in the villages welcome the Eşekli Librarian every time with applause. Their hearts flutter in excitement, waiting for new books in joy. Uncle Mustafa’s fame spreads around. While other civil servants do not sit and work in office rooms, Mustafa’s donkey Yüksel deserves the grass he eats more than all of them.

Once people begin to arrive at the library. Mustafa looked the library and he relize womens never comes there. He thinks about what he can do to attract them to the Library and writes a letter to the sewing machine manufacturer Zenith and Singer explaining the situation and his wish:

“Send me a sewing machine, let me write your company name at the entrance of the library,” he says.

He gets a positive answer. Zenith sends nine, Singer a sewing machine. Mustafa is determined and happy, He declares to the people, Tuesday makes women’s day. The woman who takes the fabric runs to library. Since ten machines are not enough, a queue is formed. He gives a book to the women waiting in line, to read while they wait. When he sees the low literacy rate, he goes to give public houses literacy courses. Starts carpeting courses, revitalizes carpet weaving in the region.

Men do not leave the coffee shop and come to the library, so Uncle Mustafa takes them to the coffee shop to read the books. He even puts Radio in the library so people can come.
Beginning with a donkey, it turns into a service fleet, including Mules and Horses, over time.
This success story goes beyond Ürgüp borders and reaches Ankara. It even goes up to the United States. An international competition for humanity is organized in the USA in 1963. An invitation is sent inside the library of Mustafa’s brain to participate in the competition. The invitation letter reaches Ankara, the State Planning Organization. With the contributions of an officer there, Mustafa Brain Library is sent to America with official documents. A three-person delegation comes to Ürgüp and examines Mustafa Brain Library on the spot. They witness the high literacy of the people in the region. They are affected by this success.
Mustafa brain library project is chosen first. The American ambassador brings her award. He presents two Jeeps to his library. The cultural fleet gets a motor vehicle and a huge cultural fleet is formed.
They say that no success in this country will go unpunished.

Mustafa Bey spends years with such labor and struggle. He is loved by the People of the Region, especially by the people of the village. Governorate filed a lawsuit against Mustafa, saying “he behaves outside his definition of duty”. Uncle Mustafa, who turns 50, is retired under pressure.

Uncle Mustafa becomes a legend in the region and among the villagers, and over the years, the love of reading in the villages is established among the children in the villages. Uncle Mustafa passed away in 2005. All of Cappadocia is very sorry for Uncle Mustafa’s death. They want to keep the name of the person who touches such great service and make a decision.

Mustafa Bey served as an exemplary and appreciative service to the people of the region. It is loved by the people and its name is kept alive. Many officers, authorities came and went from the region, cities. Those who add innovations to their workplaces have not been forgotten, but even the names of many are not remembered. There are people, it adds value to where it touches; there are people, it loses value where it touches. Employees who act with the understanding that service is right is a right to people, and employees will never be forgotten by the people.