Comments on: Little Free Library can help put a library on your corner http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 15 Sep 2014 23:11:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.4 By: Kevin Smith http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1428934 Mon, 21 May 2012 10:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1428934 An idea like this was put into practice in Seattle a year ago. See this about “Z Box” here:  http://signsonthequad.blogspot.com/2011/05/signs-on-quad-welcomes-to-u-districtthe.html

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By: missfeather http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1428515 Sun, 20 May 2012 04:01:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1428515 I’m the steward of the Little Free Library in the first picture. My husband built it. It’s waterproof and humidity is not an issue in Los Angeles, so the books stay in good shape. Not that they are ever in there for very long. Things tend to rotate fairly quickly and if they don’t, I  rotate them into my designated library shelf inside for a bit and then put them out again another time. I’m near a high school, so tons of teens go by. They seem to like it. sometimes there’s a little cluster sitting of them around and reading. The feedback from neighbors has been great, a lot of books come in and go out and I do indeed shop at the local library book sales to help stock it. 

I picked the CS Lewis quote because I like it and it seems to fit the nature of this little library – I hear people talking about books and how much they love them and how thrilled they are seeing a book they like in there, even if they don’t take it. I think we live in lonely times and I think books help us connect.  Also, I spent a whole lot of my formative years checking the backs of closets and wardrobes, just in case Narnia was real, so CS. Lewis will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll probably change the quote occasionally to keep things interesting.  Not because someone doesn’t like it  — I really don’t care about that. Part of the beauty of reading is that exposes you to different ideas and it’s perfectly fine to not like all of them. 

Someday I hope to meet whichever neighbor is putting in all the  cool noir stuff and have a nice discussion about detectives over a couple of whiskeys. 

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By: tft http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1427553 Fri, 18 May 2012 15:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1427553 My point is that we who donate the books should be aware and donate the good stuff, not the crap.

Kids will read the good stuff, especially if that’s all that’s available.

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By: rbrooks1 http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1427119 Fri, 18 May 2012 02:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1427119 Question is, works better for what?  The look and design of these things tends to attract attention and interest…and generosity and goodwill.  So it’s not just the books that matter.  People get to meet and know their neighbors because of them.  Being outdoors at places where people can gather seems to help.  The weather is almost never a problem for at least two reasons: books come and go pretty quickly, and most Little Libraries have been built to withstand the weather.   They also have stewards and stakeholders who watch out for them in addition to the book donors and readers.  

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By: chgoliz http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1427006 Thu, 17 May 2012 23:38:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1427006 No, I’ll agree with DMStone.  If you’re talking about getting a kid hooked on reading when none of the usual techniques have worked (“adverse to reading”), then you do whatever it takes to get them going.  Comic books, Disney tales, instructions on how to build a Lego At-At….manga is what finally did it for one of my daughters.  You do what you have to do.

Then they can go on to read the award-winning stuff.  It’s not either-or.

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By: chgoliz http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426998 Thu, 17 May 2012 23:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426998 At a number of medical clinics on the south side of Chicago, that’s exactly what happens: any kid who comes in for an appointment gets to pick out a (donated) book to keep.

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By: chgoliz http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426995 Thu, 17 May 2012 23:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426995 What an excellent idea!  Talk about a community builder.

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By: Diogenes http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426976 Thu, 17 May 2012 23:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426976 Most of my local grocery stores have the same thing.  They also accept donations for the books for local charities.  Works better when it doesn’t have to live outside.

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By: Donald Petersen http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426930 Thu, 17 May 2012 22:22:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426930 Wow, that’s gorgeous!  The motto is spot-on as well.

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By: penguinchris http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426851 Thu, 17 May 2012 20:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426851 Donald, can you e-mail me – my user name at gmail? I can’t find an e-mail address for you and I want to ask you about something.

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By: tft http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426788 Thu, 17 May 2012 19:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426788 Actually that is the worst way–kids don’t need those books. Give them real picture books by award winning children’s book authors. No need to stoop down to the level of Disney. No need at all.

So, I disagree strenuously.

In fact, giving Disney books is the lazy man’s way of getting kids interested in literature.

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By: DMStone http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426587 Thu, 17 May 2012 16:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426587 One of the best way to get a kid who is adverse to books reading is giving them Disney and cartoon books. While it may not be the best anything they can keep and enjoy is a start.

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By: DMStone http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426582 Thu, 17 May 2012 16:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426582 As a used book seller, I can guarantee many of these concerns are valid. Our LFL (our recycling bin) is regularly pilfered. I don’t mind if people want to take home tattered old PBs we had no market for, however, more often then not they are trying to sell the books back to us for quick cash. Also, every St. Patrick’s day, Mardi Gras, and most other drinking holidays it is set ablaze.

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By: zarray http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426567 Thu, 17 May 2012 15:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426567 After reading this thread I think some people here have a serious Mean World Syndrome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_world_syndrome

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By: zarray http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426537 Thu, 17 May 2012 15:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426537 I prefer copious pulpy fiber myself.

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By: zarray http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426534 Thu, 17 May 2012 15:01:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426534 Then flood the ‘market’, satiate the gluttony with knowledge.

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By: zarray http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426529 Thu, 17 May 2012 14:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426529 The problem with my neighborhood/town/edge of civilization wouldn’t be the teens* but the extremely far right old men who see a commie-nazi plot in everything.

*as a former ‘rowdy’ teen myself I’d say the expectation of being a hellion and a lack of foresight led me to do destructive things.

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By: zarray http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426518 Thu, 17 May 2012 14:43:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426518 But it’s so desiccant-y!

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By: Alan Anderson http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426482 Thu, 17 May 2012 13:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426482 Great idea! Just found my next project. And I can have my two sons help build the box, and help select the books to include. How inspiring!

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By: Ken Williams http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426450 Thu, 17 May 2012 12:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426450 There’s a Little Free Library a few blocks from my house, and it’s right across the street from a very charming neighborhood public library.  Both are nice.

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By: userw014 http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426423 Thu, 17 May 2012 11:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426423 Those little boxes sure are cute.

But like many others here, I wonder about the sustainability of an effort like this.  Location and environmental concerns strike me as the most challenging.

Ann Arbor has a fantastic local library – with one large main library (downtown) and 4 fine branch libraries  on the periphery of the city – and a public transit system.  (Let’s not mention the University of Michigan Libraries, although those are limited to the faculty, students, and staff of the University.)

They seem to fill as much a social need as anything else, and at a very local scale.  Neighborhood builders.

There aren’t many Free Little Libraries in Michigan – and the intellectual evangelist in me is amused to see that they’re all located in the wealthier, better educated (and most likely more progressive) mid-sized cities.

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By: ophmarketing http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426415 Thu, 17 May 2012 11:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426415 Sadly, I fear that within about 3 minutes, all of the books would be gone. And within 5 minutes, so would the library.

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By: Tim Drage http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426403 Thu, 17 May 2012 09:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426403 No you don’t, you love it really. :)

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By: Karnuvap http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426379 Thu, 17 May 2012 07:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426379 I am surprised no one has heard of Book Crossing. A similar movement that allows you to track your book released via the internet. Their book crossing points are indoors in pubs, cafes and so on.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/

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By: beebleberry http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426351 Thu, 17 May 2012 05:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426351 We have a lovely little Neighbourhood Book Exchange on the corner of Charles and Lakewood in Vancouver’s (BC) Grandview neighbourhood (near Commercial Drive). There are three shelves, two for adult books and one for kids’ books. There’s tremendous turnover. Eileen Mosca designed and painted it.

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By: Bart Farbler http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426333 Thu, 17 May 2012 04:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426333 That’s a personal tag put on by the steward of the library. I think it makes that box unique, and if that’s all it takes to make you not want to take a book, you’re not much of a reader. 

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By: Bart Farbler http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426331 Thu, 17 May 2012 04:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426331 Niiice. 

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By: Bart Farbler http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426330 Thu, 17 May 2012 04:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426330 Crackheads don’t use books for toilet paper. It’s totally not like they see a book and say “Hey, there’s some toilet paper.” 

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By: Bart Farbler http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426327 Thu, 17 May 2012 04:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426327 By taking stock in the comunity, though, someone who knocks it over and sees it back up the next day will be less likely to do it again if they see someone in charge of its upkeep. 

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By: Bart Farbler http://boingboing.net/2012/05/16/little-free-library-can-help-put-a-library-on-your-corner.html#comment-1426328 Thu, 17 May 2012 04:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=161272#comment-1426328 They’re pretty well weatherproofed. 

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