how many of you have heard of the little free library movement?

[AllaN01Bear]

i was in jackson california amador county at something attca (amador , tuolumne county calaveras county ( action agency, their hq is in jackson ca) i noticed something on a wall and it was shoing their "branches" of little free libraries which consists of a keosk with books in it. the premise is you take a book out , when done bring the book back and return it. you also can donate a book as welll .
this is a interview with the founder of the movement .

link to their home page .https://littlefreelibrary.org/
they are also on twitter . youtube and facebook. had me scratching my head .

[rzemanfl]

1. They are all over here. n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I have one. Set it up about four years ago.

It's been fun to watch the books come and go.

[greymattermom]

3. There's one in the park where I go walking

so it adds to my delight every time, and it makes it easy to recycle the books I already have. Plus, it's at the 0 mile marker of my 2 mile walk.

[Solly Mack]

4. We have one at a local park. It's a small area w/ a bench, the book-nook, and flowers.

It's an old cabinet with four shelves. Doors, of course, to protect the books. I drop off books all the time.

[Lochloosa]

5. I know of two here. And that is one small area of town.

[JDC]

6. I never have, but there is one right up the street

I always wondered what it was. This is very cool. Thank you.

[Greybnk48]

7. Theyre all over our town.

As I recall, they’re about a $300 initial investment for the kiosk. With so many we didn’t put one up. We put books into other people’s instead.

[blaze]

8. Here's a map of Denver and beyond

We have lots of them around here! It's so much fun to see a new one pop up.

https://www.screencast.com/t/wfeKnuRrNs

[Lifelong Protester]

9. Our elementary school sponsored 4 of them

Last edited Fri Oct 20, 2017, 09:42 PM - Edit history (1)

When they started, they wanted to exceed Andrew Carnegie's donations.

Not knocking his donations, but they stand at 2500. The Little Free Library movement has over 50,000.

It's a good place to share books.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about them.

More books are always mo' better. But a library -- funded by taxes -- offers so much more than just a dozen books in a kiosk. I'd rather they were called something else. /curmudgeon

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. They don't compete with "real" libraries.

Obviously you can't go to one and find a book you want like in a regular library - they are totally pot luck. If there's a book in one that looks interesting you can take it, read it, and return it to that LFL or to another one, or keep it and donate a book of your own. It's a nice way of recycling books you don't want any more. But if there's a particular book I want to read I'll have to go to an actual library because I'm not likely to find it in a LFL.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. I understand that; I just don't want them seen as individuals solving a problem that government does

better.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. They don't. It's just a nice way of recycling used books

and in some cases making a few books available to people who might not be able to get to a library at all. Real libraries have huge collections of books on many topics, computers, research materials, chairs to sit in, tables to study at, librarians to help you find things, heating, air conditioning, and bathrooms. A LFL is just a wooden box on a pole with a small random collection of used books inside. You can't compare them; they fill different niches and different needs.

[crazycatlady]

26. The one in my town is run by the public library

THere's actually two-- one adults and one children's.

There's a shed full of books boxed up (they're not taking donations now) on their property. Not sure the source of the books but I'm assuming they're slowly put in the LFL.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. We have two of those in my neighborhood

[ProudLib72]

12. There's one down the block from me

I've seen them around in other places I've lived.

[tblue37]

13. They are all over our college town. nt

[jalan48]

14. We have them in my neighborhood. It's a great thing.

[Staph]

15. Our church is planning to put one up in the parking lot in the spring.

We have 100 Scouts meeting here weekly, along with Weight Watchers and Narcotics Anonymous. And there is a new dance studio that just moved in across the street. We're planning mostly children's and YA books, with some adult books as well.

Methodists, we get the job done! [/Hamilton!]

[tblue37]

16. Have you heard of Bookcrossing? Books are "released into the wild" so

passersby can find them and take them home to read (and maybe become book releasers themselves).

https://m.facebook.com/BookCrossingOfficial/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BookCrossing

The "crossing" or exchanging of books may take any of a number of forms, including wild-releasing books in public, direct swaps with other members of the websites, or "book rings" in which books travel in a set order to participants who want to read a certain book. The community aspect of BookCrossing.com has grown and expanded in ways that were not expected at the outset, in the form of blog or forum discussions, mailing lists and annual conventions throughout the world.

snip

Anyone who wishes to officially participate in "releasing" books, whether leaving it in a public place or passing it on to a friend, may register on the BookCrossing.com website, although there is the option to remain anonymous when "catching" or recording the find of a book. BookCrossing.com users can 'go hunting', where a member will go to the website to view a list of books that have recently been "released", then go to the location it was left to "catch" it. Books may also be left at "Official BookCrossing Zones" (OBCZs), which are located in certain coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and other public places. The purpose of these locations is to get current members in the area to leave books to share with the public. This also advertises BookCrossing and creates more members.

[coolsandy]

17. The Altrusan club to which I belong donates these libraries to underserved schools in our county.

We have built shelves little book kiosks and we purchase books and donate books to the little free libraries that we sponsor. Altrusa International is a proponent of literacy throughout the world. i belong to one of their local clubs in Montgomery County Maryland. Literacy programs are just one of the many social services we provide to our community.

[ellie]

21. Yes, they are all

over my Denver neighborhood. I picked up a book when I was coming back from my run.

[Docreed2003]

22. We have them in Nashville...

A great way to build community!

[mopinko]

23. i have one on my farm. it has mostly been great, but

some asshole cleaned out all the adult books a while back. it happens. i havent refilled it, figuring i would give neighbors a chance to fill it up, and if they come back they will find the cupboard bare.
will prolly fill it this weekend. folks do put books in.

kids books are what goes, mostly.

[Thor_MN]

35. I wonder if the plunder gets sold to Half Price Books or similar stores...

There should be a Little Free Library stamp that book reseller companies would recognize. When a pirate nabs all the books from a little free library, it would be nice if there were no market for them.

[mopinko]

36. there is a stamp.

i havent been using mine, but i will be from now on.
tho some stewards say it doesnt always work. the book resellers have to want to look for it. some people stamp the page edges.

yes, it is assumed they are being sold.

[a kennedy]

24. Love the idea, and we do have a few in my neighborhood, well not where I live exactly, but

where we buy stuff.....it's about 9 miles from my home.

[crazycatlady]

25. There's one in my town

I bring old books there all the time.

[LisaM]

27. They are all over Seattle.

It's a great way to get rid of "one and done" books and my old book club books too.

[sandensea]

28. Thrift stores, to some degree, function the same way.

You buy a book for anywhere from 50 cents to $3 (there's usually plenty to choose from), and when you're done you can just donate it right back.

Doing this really helps keep down clutter at your house, and of course it allows someone else the chance to share what you enjoyed reading.

[Shrike47]

29. They are all over my part of Eugene, Oregon.

[Grammy23]

30. Pensacola has some.

The ones I have seen are in an old part of town called East Hill. They may very well be in other areas that I don’t go very often. They are built a little like a large bird house or cabinet with a glass door and shelves. Very cute! Painted colorfully with good, shingled roofs. There was a newspaper article about them some time ago but I have no idea how successful the idea has been or if they are being utilized as envisioned. But on the face of it, I like the idea of a friendly, free book exchange.

I am also a fan of thrift stores for books. You’d Be amazed at the books you can find for 50 cents up to $2.99. I generally give them back after I read them or in the case of No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin, passed it along to a houseguest who was enjoying it. She took it with her when she left with instructions to just keep passing it along! Great book. Enjoyed reading it!

[Freethinker65]

31. My community even had a fundraiser to raffle some off done by local artists

Chicagoland. I have not used them though. I prefer the local library a few blocks away from my house.

[CTyankee]

32. We have one right here in my neighborhood in New Haven!

Someone built a little wooden "house" for them to protect them from the bad New England weather. Right on the corner. You put in a book and take what is offered. I have a gazillion books I'd love to get rid of.

My library will take a bunch of my books,not for their permanent collection, but for their book store nearby. They will sell them and the library will be the recipient of the money! That's a win'win in my opinion!

[AllaN01Bear]

33. re:how many of you have heard of the little free library movement?

in addendum to my post , the funding for these in amador ca came from the state of california via a entity that funds librarys.

[KentuckyWoman]

34. I have one right next to my apartment door.

I started with a cardboard box... An outdoor end table, and a take a book, leave a book sign scrawled on the side.

4 months later it was overflowing ..... 3 months after that I came home to find a neighbor with a woodworking job made me a beautiful box out of the scraps.

[mcar]

37. They are all over my son's neighborhood in DC