Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Britain's Smallest Library in a Red Telephone Box






Villagers in Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset, England were heartbroken when the mobile library service stopped coming to deliver books. The next library was 4 miles away...a long way to travel for a good read. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of buying a red telephone box and adding shelves to convert it into a tiny book exchange for all to enjoy. It has been a runaway success. The phone box library is open every day for 24 hours and is lit at night. There is a regular check on it to see if some titles are not moving. These are then shipped on to a charity shop to keep the phone box collection fresh. Read more + more.

I love wonderful stories like this, don't you? We have a free book exchange at my post office. There was a village uproar here when all of a sudden the USPS decided it wasn't appropriate. It wasn't in the actual post office, but the vestibule and it was quickly put back after we all wrote letters and made phone calls. We love our little place to buy a stamp, mail a letter, and take a book or magazine. There is a big turnover since everyone makes regular deposits too. All for the love of books.
What's your library card worth? Find out now.



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3 comments:

Marcy said...

What a delightful little library! I'm glad that they found a solution - and judging from the line, I think they all support it!

I'm always delighted when I see spots that have books available - like your post office. We often find them when we are on vacation and it's a lovely time to pick up something new to read.

Stacey said...

How neat! You know, I just can't imagine what the USPS would find inappropriate about a book exchange...glad y'all set them straight. :)

Gal Friday said...

What a delightful story(and would you look at that queue!).
I cannot imagine a world without a library to use and have always treasured having alibrary card.

 
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