Have too many books piled up in your house? Â A recent trend that’s swept the midwest could work particularly well on the sunny streets of our area: Free Little Libraries.
The idea is simple – share your books AND encourage community interaction by installing a small, weatherproof library box on your property and fill it with books you’d like to share. Add a “Take a Book, Return a Book” sign and you’ve got a lending library open round-the-clock with no record-keeping, no fines, and some great opportunities to read a little something different.
These new mini-libraries are usually built of wood with a glass window to tempt passersby. The designs are home-grown and built, or can be ordered as a kit from Little Free Library, the national repository for connecting the small libraries across the country. Some of the cutesy cupboards are posted next to people’s driveways or along front walks, or mounted outside coffee shops or doctor’s offices.
It’s a great idea – and one that could sprout up easily in our own neighborhoods.
For a national story read NBC News .
will the city allow us to do this? we left a cabinet on our parkway a few months ago and received a nasty note from the city that we were in violation of “dumping” laws and would be cited if we did this again. Not very friendly and I certainly don’t want a citation.
Hi Debi! Just to follow up on this…according to Council Member Tom LaBonge’s office these Free Little Libraries would absolutely be possible. They would just encourage users to put them in a place where they wouldn’t be vandalized.
People are doing these in big cities like Atlanta and Milwaukee. We love this idea! I bet we could get some built and create a little network of sharing. Not to undermine the libraries, but to encourage reading and community.