YSK: Little Free Library is a group that promotes local access to books on a more micro level, to build a stronger community of readers across the world
Take a Book. Share a Book. - Little Free Library
They have an interactive map to find nearby little free libraries near you. You can use their map here.
So it's an organization/brand? I thought it was just something that some homeowners like to do, not an official thing.
Yes and no. Not everybody knows about this organization and lists the library they made on this map, but most do!
Don't even have to be a homeowner. A map to find Free Book Shelves is a welcome additon though.
I have seen a few of those around in my city and even some version of it at the college I attend. I wholeheartedly think these are great, so long as people don't abuse them. I've never seen one being abused here, but I can guarant in some regions it has already been abused.
Meanwhile I've never seen one not abused! People love to take the books, but not return them. I know this because I've made multiple trips to restock my local little library and every single time I went, nearly every book was gone, every time. I never saw any of the books I added ever again.
Yeah I haven't kept up with it but for a while there around me, these had a huge problem of people cleaning them out and selling all the decent books in them for some cash. Rinse and repeat every time it was restocked.
I wonder if it’s one shitty person causing all the problems.
I’ve seen this once or twice but barring knowing the goal of the owner wasn’t sure if it’s appropriate to help restock.
As a big example I believe many of these are lgbtq or diversity friendly but that can be controversial. It’s not my business to make a statement in your library: should I donate an lgbtq book? a western? Romantic? Children’s? I have them all and support almost any goal encouraging reading or thinking, i just need to know what it is
We have these around in various places, I don't see some "nonprofit" taking credit for them.
Every time I look into one of these, it's just shitty self help or business pulp. The good books get stolen and sold on eBay :(
But sometimes I also discover the absolute best trash. For example, without my local little free library, I never would have learned about Sexual Kung Fu which is totally a real thing and not made up by a white guy that visited Asia for a few years that sells self-help coaching now.
Imagine, until that book I had gone my entire life without knowing that penises and vaginas have front gates and back gates.
Also, did you know that if you train hard enough you can have a kidney orgasm? And a lung orgasm?
In Europe we have Buchschränke (Tauschschränke)
There's a open street map tag: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity%3Dpublic_bookcase
I like these things. Had no idea there was an organisation involved.
Fun fact: you can get them in Animal Crossing. You can buy them straight up, or make them — the availability of the crafting recipe, or the item being available in the shop, however, is completely random. And they don't "do" anything. They're just a decoration. I like having one on my island near my houses though, or maybe up by the museum, but my current character has neither the recipe nor the actual item. One of those things that, if I get the recipe/item, I'll definitely put one out.
In my neighborhood, there are several of these "little free libraries" in people's yards. I've always thought that it was a very cool idea!
i live in an apartment and i want to make one in the hallway by the door for everyone :3
Thanks for the map, I see the one in my immediate neighborhood is not listed but there are two others within an easy walk!
I’ll have to let them know
I did always wonder what the goals and protocols were. Can I donate to one or respect their choices of content? Am I acting suspicious if I stand there to “browse the stacks” and see if there is anything that interests me?
Can I donate to one or respect their choices of content? Am I acting suspicious if I stand there to “browse the stacks” and see if there is anything that interests me?
Literally all those things are encouraged! It’s in fact expected for others to donate, because otherwise the library would slowly empty itself out through attrition/non-returns.
Oh, there's a map! Great, now I can setup a route to find books to steal and sell back to book shops to feed my meth addiction /s
That's nice, but do people still read physical books?
IMO the best community library one can have is the internet, and sites like Anna's Archive allow for access to pretty much every book in existence from the comfort of your own bed.
People hate me when I say this, but in my opinion physical books are a novelty of the past, sure it's useful in an apocalypse for preservation and whatnot, but physical books are just limited and unpractical.
That must be why physical bookstores are seeing huge resurgence in sales I guess.
I like my kindle as much as the next person, as well as self host a book repo, but physical books are absolutely not a novelty of the past.
libraries also have dvds you can rent which are awesome. they also partner with libby/cw mars for ebooks
Do you have any children?
We set one up at the front of our yard years ago and I love having it! I try to keep a good stock of kids, romance, and fantasy in it as that seems to be the name for our neighborhood.
Personally I love seeding them with Victorian smut