Thread: Little Free Library

Those book swap boxes are popping up all over the place. Someone in the street round the corner put out an old display cabinet and stuck a tin roof on it. Makes sense because if you keep all of your books they will take over the whole house.
Regards
John

Looks great, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Nice.

There must be 10 or 12 street libraries (local name) within a couple of kms of here - all much smaller than yours.

The Taj Mahal of street libraries!

Beautiful work. Looks like you put as much work in to that as you do your boxes. Just wondering why there is a lock on it when it's a free library?

There’s a similar library out the front of the house next to me. I use it. Though, I’ve only ever come across a few books that have taken my fancy. Not surprising, really. They are very small after all. Still, I was so impressed that someone in the street did it. It’s a similar design. I see lots of people stopping and looking.

Anyway, I was reading another forum. The subject of street libraries was raised, and was slammed by someone. The person criticising them made a very good point. The more these things pop up in the street the less likely people might be inclined to go to their local public library. Public libraries have a greater range of books that are stored in a more appropriate environment (no extremes of heat, cold, humidity, rain). And the public library system can bring in books from other libraries if they aren’t available locally. Also, and this was the main point, if the number of people attending public libraries drops the Councils may reduce funding and they may cease to exist after a while. The street libraries might be a fad that eventually disappears. Then we’ll be left with nothing.

Hi all and thanks.

Dallas, good question, I asked my daughter why she wants a lock on it also. She said just to make sure someone doesnt come along and trash all the books in the middle of the night. She locks it when she goes to bed, unlocks morning.

I said fair enough. They are renting very close to the CBD of Macksville, same street as the main shopping centre, just up the road from it.

Daughter is an avid book reader. She's been working voluntary over in Uganda Africa for the last 15 years teaching teachers how to teach all voluntary. Her and her husband even adopted a little african boy who was left on the side of the road in a box,abandoned, when he was 2. He will be 9 this week. She scored a job full time teaching at a private school at Bowraville. She is always at the Macksville library.

I tend to doubt that these little free libraries will ever replace council libraries, I mean really what are you talking say the choice of 15 books compared to tens of thousands in every possible category.

Dallas, I'm still into my resin boxes, those last ones I put up with the Gifkin Col technique for 5mm barrel hinges, into a series of 37 of them at present, about 10 still to go. Exactly same box, same plan in a small, medium and large version. Serving two purposes, having boxes on Etsy at more of an affordable price plus getting rid of a lot of my smaller timber that I kept putting aside. I started with 23 boxes and then went through more timber to make another 14. One trick I did learn from the first lot, with that brass jig thing that Gifkin Col designed, works great but as soon as it looks a bit worn from continual 5mm drill bits running through it, toss it away and make another. Keeps the holes being very close to perfect.

Paul

My impression is that the Little Free Libraries are more for the Nomads (grey and any other colour). I am not quite sure how useful they would be in an urban situation, but for example our small country town has one of these facilities, which is also happens to be less than 100m from the town library.

The Nomads can pass the books on to a similar facility without having to return to the original source: Not so with the conventional library, which arguably has a huge range in comparison, and a choice in many subjects so I don't really see potential competition.

Having said that, the Toowoomba shire council since amalgamating our old local shire into a "super shire" (so grossly mis-named) took the opportunity during Covid to reduce the Millmerran library opening hours to three days a week and they have not been reinstated. However, I don't think this is due to the "Little Free Library." Just poor use of resources, opportunistic downsizing and city centric focus.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

... The subject of street libraries was raised, and was slammed by someone.

Sounds like a real live YouTube expert. The concept that a box of books could challenge a bricks-and-mortar library lacks any credibility. A far greater and very real threat is posed by electronic media. Just look at the decline of newspapers, magazines and newsagents - and no signs of it abating.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

My impression is that the Little Free Libraries are more for the Nomads (grey and any other colour). I am not quite sure how useful they would be in an urban situation...

Au contraire, Paul.

I live in an inner suburban location, exactly 1 km from the State Library and about 2 kms from the university library. There are at least 10 or 12 street libraries in our immediate locality. My impression is that the vast majority of "clients" are locals; I know or recognise most of them.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Sounds like a real live YouTube expert.

As I said, it was a forum. A writer's forum, actually.

Though, I have to say that the last few large libraries I've been to in recent years were disappointing. The public library was air-conditioned, carpeted, and had comfortable seats, but the range of books was disappointing. Their audiobooks were great. The local TAFE library was also disappointing in that a lot of stuff was online access which meant there was precious little on the shelves. Then on another occasion, I went into one of the ANUs libraries and was blocked at the door. A turnstile and I needed a student card to get in. What the hell? In Adelaide, anyone could walk into the Barr Smith library and no one batted an eyelid. Perhaps that's changed too.

The little street library next to my house goes through cycles of stock. Sometimes there are more boxes of jigsaw puzzles than books. Then there are children's books galore. The owner of the library sorts through them periodically: adults on one shelf, kids stuff on the other. Then other times the books take on a self-help tone. You name it - always changing. I check it every day. If you see something interesting, you best grab it straight away, otherwise it'll likely be gone the next time you visit.

Originally Posted by Pauls321

She's been working voluntary over in Uganda Africa for the last 15 years teaching teachers how to teach all voluntary. Her and her husband even adopted a little african boy who was left on the side of the road in a box, abandoned, when he was 2. He will be 9 this week. She scored a job full time teaching at a private school at Bowraville. She is always at the Macksville library.

Dallas, I'm still into my resin boxes, those last ones I put up with the Gifkin Col technique for 5mm barrel hinges, into a series of 37 of them at present, about 10 still to go. Exactly same box, same plan in a small, medium and large version. Serving two purposes, having boxes on Etsy at more of an affordable price plus getting rid of a lot of my smaller timber that I kept putting aside. I started with 23 boxes and then went through more timber to make another 14. One trick I did learn from the first lot, with that brass jig thing that Gifkin Col designed, works great but as soon as it looks a bit worn from continual 5mm drill bits running through it, toss it away and make another. Keeps the holes being very close to perfect.

Paul

My sister and family spent 12 years in what was Rhodesia and then Zimbabwe as missionaries. They went over with 2 children and when they returned home for good had 4, but none were African. Really nice that your daughter has taken one of their little ones in.
You have certainly taken on a mission with those boxes. They will certainly be keeping you out of mischief. I can imagine the holes in the brass enlarging with constant use as it is pretty soft.