BS: Little Free Library

Subject: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 12:43 PM

In the town where I live,
a Little Free Library was just mounted on a white fence in front of a local business, won't say which business it was. It's the first Little Free Library I've ever seen, I was unaware of them before. Also the first in this town.

These little constructions have been around for several years; often they turn up in front of residences, rather than commercial areas.

Any Mudcatters here have experience with Little Free Libraries?

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 12:58 PM

There's one in the street in Hebden Bridge (Yorkshire, England).

Lots of free book shelves in pubs in and around Edinburgh.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 04:00 PM

I see them all over here in Northern California. There's even one in the lobby of our local county Probation Department (we have a very enlightened Chief Probation Officer). Wikipedia has an article about the history of the Little Free Library, and the organization behind the libraries has a Website, https://littlefreelibrary.org/.

But all is not happiness and joy in the land of Little Free Libraries. There's an article in The Atlantic (click) that tells how certain communities have prohibited them.

I like 'em.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Oct 17 - 06:15 AM

Where Lady Hillary and I live, we have condonazis who go about complaining about anything that is not by the letter of the law. I cannot even varnish the spars of my sailing rig in my garage without a complaint and a fine.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Oct 17 - 11:39 AM

They look kinda like birdhouses.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Oct 17 - 07:26 PM

we have lots of them in Australia - I pass a few in my regular travels around my usual haunts & they are cute

As I'm a member of 2 council (municipal) public libraries & usually have 10 to 15 books from each one at the same time, I really don't need any more books to read - maybe ...

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 10 Oct 17 - 03:43 AM

They are a great use for redundant (UK) telephone boxes, which would be removed otherwise. Saw one the other day.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Oct 17 - 03:56 AM

We have the Black Book cafe here. The deal is you offer what you think the book is worth - or you swap a book. Which apart from the first swapper, all the other books are totally free. I believe there is a similar cafe in Cambridge started by the same people.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Oct 17 - 12:38 PM

After a too-hot week in Arizona,
will board a plane tomorrow to return to New England.
Destination airport is the small, pleasant airport in/near
Providence, Rhode Island.

Word is that this airport has within it
A Little Free Library!

If I'm not too worn out after collecting my suitcase,
I will sniff around this small airport
and see if I can spot the birdhouse, erm, Little Free Library.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 25 Oct 17 - 01:01 PM

Ooh, if there's a Little Free Library at RI's T. F. Green Airport, I haven't seen it, and I was there recently. Let me know if you find it! Someone at the information counter in front of the sailboat (we do have a sailboat inside the airport) might know where it is.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Oct 17 - 09:36 AM

T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island
does indeed have a Little Free Library, charter number and all.
It's on the baggage claim level, the ground floor.

If you enter the baggage claim level from outside,
the wooden cabinet will be facing you, facing the outside doors.
It is against one of those wide floor-to-ceiling columns.

The column will be to your right.
It is a column back some ways, near the coffee shop.

I saw it coming down the escalator from the terminal gates,
so of course the column, and the Little Free Library, were to my left.
No paint. Just two-tone wood colors.
And a glassed-over door and everything.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: robomatic
Date: 27 Oct 17 - 01:19 PM

Apparently we've had them in Anchorage for several years. Thanks for bringing this up, I can locate 'em via the internet and Google maps.

I'm familiar with the concept of free book shelves in various establishments, typically coffee bars and the odd community center. They usually have paperbacks of the mystery/ trashy sort. We also have a very good public library system with our main library, the Loussac, just freshly completing a major refit.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 27 Oct 17 - 09:11 PM

Next time I'm at RI's Green Airport to pick up a friend, possibly early June, I'll look for it!

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Oct 17 - 10:40 PM

Whatever gets people reading!

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 30 Oct 17 - 04:41 PM

In Park Slope, Brooklyn, people leave their gently used books on their stoops, free for the taking. And they're pretty good books. I try to walk past the brownstones on those days without bringing home any more items to add to the archeological layers of paper products upon my desk, but I'm not always successful.


(they leave clothes and toys too- once I saw a bicycle with a 'for free' sign)

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Oct 17 - 06:25 PM

A really bad storm hit my area in the last few days: the wind did a lot of damage; there was also heavy rain.

Just this evening I returned to the Little Free Library in my town, referenced in the opening post, to retrieve some books of mine which I had loaned out / left inside.

My books were damp; the thing is wet inside.

I'm not real happy about that. But I tell myself, it WAS an uncommonly bad storm. Well, I've got my books back, anyhow, and where I put them next, it will NOT be wet.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 17 - 12:28 PM

Indoor Little Free Library installations,
like the one in the baggage claim area of the
Providence Rhode Island airport,
will not suffer from the conditions
described in the previous post, obviously.

There is more than one design of birdhouse, oops,
I mean Little Free Library cabinet,
available through the organization.
Maybe some are more water-resistant than others?

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: EBarnacle
Date: 07 Aug 18 - 12:01 PM

Here's one that aroused some local ire.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/bridgewater/s/ghi9d/point-boro-forces-family-take-down-mailbox-library-report

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Aug 18 - 12:17 PM

...which link says:

Hello! Patch is currently unavailable in most European locations.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Aug 18 - 03:30 PM

I lost the post I was making --

but there is another link to EBarnacle's story.
It's at nj dot com.

Subject: RE: BS: Little Free Library
From: EBarnacle
Date: 09 Aug 18 - 09:02 AM

Apparently the complaint was filed by an anonymous Grinch. I would hope their little hearts would melt.


https://patch.com/new-jersey/bridgewater/s/ghi9d/cops-called-on-nj-family-for-having-library-for-kids?utm_source=newsletter-dail