7 ms·
Little Free Library
- jmclnx 8mo agoI think this is very cool and a brilliant idea, there are a few of these in my area where I have borrowed and contributed books too.
- cwmoore 8mo agoI have been dropping my puzzle books [1] into many of these in my area. It is encouraging to see they are almost always gone when I return. [1] https://www.kakurokokoro.com/ https://www.kakurokokoro.com/
- jeremy151 8mo agoThese are a great way to spread something you appreciate with the world. I once bought a stack of 30 or so well-used Calvin and Hobbes books and would regularly seed a few every now and then.
- atcole 8mo agoJust this morning I added several copies of books 1,2 & 3 of the Wheel Of Time series to a random Little Free Library because I had so much fun reading them and I hoped others would as well. Hoping this continues.
- RyanOD 8mo agoA great project for any student taking wood shop (our daughter built our LFL last semester).
- chrneu 8mo agoi build lil free libraries and bird houses to get rid of my scrap wood. it's a fun limitation on the project that often makes ya think outside the box, so to speak.
- bombcar 8mo agoMost of the ones around here are pretty obviously built from the same plan, but the ones that are kit-bashed from random materials are always the most interesting.
- lazyasciiart 8mo agoWhat do you do with them? Give them away on Facebook or something?
- sien 8mo agoIn Australia it's 'Street Library' https://streetlibrary.org.au/ https://streetlibrary.org.au/ Do they have other names in different countries?
- amatecha 8mo agoin NA we have to call them "free libraries" because the concept of not having to pay for something is so rare, it has to be clearly indicated upfront! (joking lol, mostly!!)
- singpolyma3 8mo agoI think being free is implied in being a library
- bee_rider 8mo agoSome libraries require membership. Also some people have private libraries. Universities often have libraries which, at least, don’t offer all of their services to the general public.
- singpolyma3 8mo agoNot being open to the general public doesn't mean it's not free
- bee_rider 8mo agoI’d argue it is paid for by the students’ tuition, but money is fungible so I’m not sure how exactly we could nail that down.
- jvm___ 8mo agoIt's fun to be on vacation and go visit one of these. They're usually not in tourist areas and are likely to be in well established neighborhoods that a a different vibe than home. Also fun to read and come home with some random book that anchors you to that trip.
- amatecha 8mo agoyeah! I've done some geocaching (or even just walking around exploring) while on my travels, and have very often encountered these "leave one, take one" type of free libraries along the way. It's really interesting to find different types of books depending on the area - the small town on an island of course has all these books on marine travel, sailing, that sort of stuff, for example. Nice way to get a little extra idea of the area and its culture, sometimes.
- jrnichols 8mo agoWe have probably 30 of these within 10 miles and it's great. Perfect excuse to go for a walk, get a book, read it, and then return it to one of the others.
- mega_dingus 8mo agoI've known Rick since 2001 and was around when he & Todd kicked this off. We've both since moved and it's been a pleasure watching this take off (inter)nationally. In parens b/c I can only verify the "national" part, personally. :) I look for them whenever I visit new places
- codebje 8mo agoI've seen several book boxes in Brisbane, Australia, but neither one that I know the location of has been registered as a little free library.
- riffraff 8mo agoWe got at least one of these in my home town in central Italy, which is less than 50k people. I don't think it works particularly well, but then neither does the actual public library, tho I basically grew up in it.
- rietta 8mo agoWe have one at the local park nearby. A neighbor also has one in her front yard. It's a really neat concept!
- garciasn 8mo agoThere are about a half dozen around my neighborhood. My daughter and I constantly move books in and out of them to keep them fresh on our walks. Sometimes they’re great; but, oftentimes I find them to be utterly and completely devoid of anything interesting or different. Almost every single one has some sort of religious spam in it.
- bombcar 8mo agoI find that they're almost always a perfect cross-section of the local thrift store's books - including the absolutely inordinate number of cookbooks.
- garciasn 8mo agoThey’re either what folks don’t have accepted at Half Priced Books or people read absolute shit. If the latter, it’s no wonder folks don’t read as much as they once did.
- not_the_fda 8mo agoI build these and have one at my house. Its been interesting. Had some teenagers try to blow it up with fireworks. Have to constantly remove proselytizing, mostly christian, pamphlets from it. Had to buy a stamp https://littlefreelibrary.myshopify.com/products/self-inking-standard-artisan-stamp https://littlefreelibrary.myshopify.com/products/self-inking... so drug addicts don't clear it out sell the books to buy smack. Other than hat its been mostly self sustaining.
- PacificSpecific 8mo agoDid the stamp work out?
- sigwinch 8mo agoIdeally, what should the stamp say?
- PacificSpecific 8mo agoIt says in the OP's link. I was just wondering if book buyers respected the stamp and furthermore if the people stealing the books recognize it enough to be deterred.
- not_the_fda 8mo agoYes the places that buy used books respect the stamp. They usually take all the books and take them to some place Half Priced Books https://www.hpb.com/ https://www.hpb.com/ for some quick cash. Places like that won't buy them if they are stamped. They could try selling them on Amazon or E-Bay, but that's too much effort for quick cash to get a fix.
- PacificSpecific 8mo agoThanks very much for the info. I'm building one now in a city with a fairly rough drug problem and I had no idea the stamp existed.
- dmtroyer 8mo agoI’m convinced people pick these over to resell the books in some cities.
- smelendez 8mo agoI’m sure that happens but it may still be a net benefit. The original owner gets rid of a book they don’t need and don’t need money for, somebody who needs money takes the book and sells it, and somebody who wants the book buys it. But some do seem to just have high turnover. When I moved away from a place in New Orleans I probably took about 100 books to one of these over the course of a month. Most of the time I’d come back a couple days later and find all the books I dropped gone—and entirely different (and not obviously inferior or cheaper) books in the library.
- dmtroyer 8mo agoagreed, it is a net benefit, but maybe not the intention. I drop off books in these regularly that probably have decent resale value (relatively speaking) but very rarely find anything I am interested in reading.
- dfxm12 8mo agoThe margins on used books aren't there to make this worth anyone's time.
- lotsoweiners 8mo agoYet I still see someone scanning books with their phone to find the value most times I am in goodwill.
- dmtroyer 8mo agoany idea what app they were using? I want an app to scan a bookshelf for books I want or may want to read.
- dartharva 8mo agoIt's astounding to me that there isn't a cheap mass-produced e-ink device meant for kids to fill the need of paper books yet. We got mandated laptops in the hands of schoolchildren before this!
- foxglacier 8mo agoColor is a problem, isn't it? Also, they have software and as soon as there's software, there's an explosion of over-complication that raises the minimum age limit for being able to use them. This is a bit of a rant but I have a lamp/flashlight that my 4yo can't use because it's too complicated. It has 3 buttons which control 2 separate lights built into the same device. You can spend all day pressing buttons and making it change color or brightness or turn the flashlight part on and off but if you want to turn all the lights off, you have to know the secret button code. Also, one of the buttons is disguised as a USB port cover which looks the same as the other (!) USB port cover that isn't a button.
- dartharva 8mo agoIs it? Kids in India learn from black-and-white books in school all the same as colored ones. I think we used to have this UX problem sorted in the pre-smartphone days. Remember the classic Kindle with tactile keys? It's just a matter of design.
- lazyasciiart 8mo agoSure, but do they read them for fun? Would they choose them over a paper book in color? There's no point providing every kid with something they don't want. Making them available, perhaps.
- bitwize 8mo agoMy wife loves these, and tries to donate a book to them when she can.
- nancyminusone 8mo agoAre these not hell on the books, being outside and all? It's generally pretty high humidity where I live, but I still see these. I'd half expect all the books in them to be moldy.
- deleted 8mo ago[deleted]
- smelendez 8mo agoThey’re usually reasonably rainproof. Paper can survive in humidity for a few weeks. Think of all the antique stores in old buildings that almost certainly don’t run AC all night in hot and humid environments, and how many books survive from the era before air conditioning.
- chihuahua 8mo agoSomehow it's not a problem, even in Western Washington in the winter.
- ex-aws-dude 8mo agoI love the idea but whenever I look in these it’s always the weirdest books and never anything I’ve heard of I guess that is expected though as the unwanted ones build up over time
- singpolyma3 8mo agoWhy would you want something you'd already heard of? That's hardly a discovery you could get such a book at the public library.
- eudamoniac 8mo agoWhy would you want something you hadn't heard of? Nobody has run out of books that they've heard are good.
- ex-aws-dude 8mo agoYeah the thing is books are really time consuming so I tend to pick carefully
- singpolyma3 8mo agoI run out of books all the time and go hunting for recommendations
- eudamoniac 8mo agohttps://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/great-books-reading-list https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/great-bo... Should keep you busy
- dfxm12 8mo agoConsider stepping out of your comfort zone.
- ex-aws-dude 8mo ago
- purplejacket 8mo agoI had my handyman build one of these in front of our house. Also, I make a hobby of biking around to circulate books between different little free libraries in my extended neighborhood. I've found some amazing books over the years, things that were very different from my typical prior experience of books. I like this aspect, that it can be eye opening. Each little free library has it's own style of books. Some are better at handling magazines. Some see a lot of book movement, some much less. These factors influence how I move books around from one to another. Suggestions on building a little free library: 1) By far the number one priority: Waterproof. If it's not waterproof, in my opinion you're actually doing a disservice to the community, rather than a service. And have an angled roof for proper drainage. 2) Don't make it too deep. Definitely not more than 18 inches. Probably 15 inches is a good depth. 3) If you can, make two levels: One level for tall books, another level for short books. 4) Don't make it too tiny, because then it's hard to get books in and out of. 5) A good solid stand so it doesn't fall over. 6) A good latch that will resist wind. Magnetic is good. I also like to have a magnet plus a hook that can be used for backup. Also with time it's nice to have the second option in case the shape changes a little and the magnet doesn't work. 7) You might try making a mockup out of cardboard so you can see the physical size and get a sense of how many books will fit. 8) Not a building tip, but: Try to arrange the books to look nice. If you have few books you can face some of them to attract attention.
- alexdbird 8mo agoDefinitely don't make it too shallow either. People are forever jamming oversize books in ours and damaging the doors/hinges/catch.
- SoleilAbsolu 8mo agoGreat points - a Little Library near me has become more of a dumping ground than it used to be because when they re-did it, they replaced the clear plastic window with a frosted/corrugated plastic (you can't see what's in it without opening the door), and they replaced the hook latch with a chain one that lets rain get in.
- chihuahua 8mo agoThere are people who are angry at Little Free Libraries because they have somehow convinced themselves that they are a plot to drive regular public libraries out of business. Absolute madness.
- pasquinelli 8mo agothat's wild because public libraries aren't in business to begin with. they're a public good, they exist to give the public something, not to extract profit from them.
- foreigner 8mo agoPublic libraries are funded and supported by the public though. They need attention, and if you read the other comments on this post it's almost like most of these people don't even realise that public libraries exist.
- lazyasciiart 8mo agoBetter wording might be "to replace public libraries as a provider of free reading material in the public consciousness, leading to the reduction of funding and the loss of all the services a real public library provides, including a much wider and better source of books"
- neversupervised 8mo agoI find these to be cute, romantic almost. But I have never found anything worth borrowing. I wonder what is the real impact in terms of additional books read. I do love the concept of spreading knowledge in the neighborhood. I'd be curious about other similar approaches.
- tills13 8mo agoI've found them to be little microcosms of the area where they are: around me, those in wealthy neighborhoods tend to have biopics and non-fiction. Maybe more business or finance focused. Those in my neighborhood (tons of young families) have more casual reading and certainly a lot of fiction. So that's all to say sorry, your hood is full of boring people. Try finding one in a different area.
- tetromino_ 8mo agoIn my experience (I have 3 within walking distance of home), they tend to have good children's books, but the adult selection is almost useless, leaning towards religious propaganda and bad cookbooks.
- Crowberry 8mo agoWe have a makeshift library like this in my apartment complex, and our municipality have one in our town. It’s cool stuff!
- WalterBright 8mo agoThere are several in my neighborhood, and I enjoy patronizing them. The only difficulty is the same books sit in them for months at a time. What might work is having a backing store of books, and rotate them through the library once a month or so.
- mobattah 8mo agoThese started in a tiny Wisconsin town called Hudson, where I grew up. The only time we’d ever be front page on HN :)
- ggrab 8mo agoThis is very cool, they are a common sight in some cities in Germany and I always love checking through them. I have to admit I expected some OSS library when I clicked the link, I need to touch grass more.
- arjie 8mo agoSaw one of these at an Airbnb I rented in Bernal Heights for my parents to stay a few years ago. Neat little Mathematics textbook I used to teach my wife a little of this stuff. They're a loud signal of the neighbourhood. This one had some fun textbooks and romance books but in less nice parts of the city the ones I have seen are usually empty. Presumably, they are subject to the universal law I'm familiar with from the India of my childhood that anything that can be converted to money (no matter how lossy the mechanism) will be so converted. I like the idea and books aren't something I value holding once I've read them so we put some sci-fi in back along with the textbook. Amusingly, I saw them in the news a few years later under absolutely hilarious circumstances when the WSJ reported[0] that SF was fining some homeowners $1400 for a Little Free Library they'd placed outside their home after a neighbour complained. It seems to have had a happy ending with those people chasing it down till an ordinance was passed[1] permitting these. 0: https://www.wsj.com/articles/san-francisco-fights-urban-disorder-little-free-library-42e9b80a?st=akrgf55m5nwge0l&reflink=article_copyURL_share https://www.wsj.com/articles/san-francisco-fights-urban-diso... 1: https://littlefreelibrary.org/2024/02/san-francisco-stewards-celebrate-love-your-neighborhoods-ordinance/ https://littlefreelibrary.org/2024/02/san-francisco-stewards...
- lelandfe 8mo agoGosh, and what a cute one too! This is what a community is all about, ghastly to complain about this.
- jcynix 8mo agoWikipedia lists them by country, and with pictures, for example French: [Boîte à livres](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%AEte_%C3%A0_livres?wprov=sfla1 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%AEte_%C3%A0_livres?wprov...) German: [Öffentlicher Bücherschrank](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96ffentlicher_B%C3%BCcherschrank?wprov=sfla1 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96ffentlicher_B%C3%BCchers...) and many more countries. They all need a caretaker, or else they degenerate into rubbish. In France I stumbled upon one during a holiday trip, it was located in an old phone booth. Hmm, I must have a picture somewhere in my photo collection, …
- lukan 8mo ago"In France I stumbled upon one during a holiday trip, it was located in an old phone booth" Those are pretty common in (eastern) germany, they were empty for a while after the telephones went out of service and then before demolishing many got turned into little libaries. I really like the idea and exchanged many books.
- WillAdams 8mo agoAre Scholastic book orders no longer a thing for children? When my father retired from the service, he moved to the second poorest county in Virginia in terms of tax base, and the library at that time was a carrel of used paperbacks in the courthouse of the old library --- for each Scholastic book order, my teacher would open the box, remove a couple of books for other students, then hand me the box (she would also remove the promotional poster for the classroom, even though it was always my order which qualified for it). Things got better when I got to high school, since that library was somewhat better stocked (in particular, a cousin of Andre Norton's lived in the county, received books from her, and then donated them to the library, which I will eternally be grateful of). Fortunately, since then, the county has managed to build and stock an actual library building. “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.” ― Anne Herbert
- jimstoffel 8mo agoBuilt one of these [an oversized version] the first year I moved into my house (charter 76305), and it's been a hot spot as children (and adults) walk by it every day. Stephen King and Patterson books tend to go quickly, as well as science fiction. Luckily, I've been able to have a good mix of children, teenage, and adult books recycled through. Would highly recommend having one installed/setup on a well travel sidewalk/park.
- myself248 8mo agoLast time I went looking for LFL's, the map data quality was terrible. There's no way to flag a defunct location as defunct, since only the "owner" can edit their own entry. If they don't respond, it's a permanent ghost on the map. I've taken to mapping them in OSM using amenity=public_bookcase (and amenity=food_sharing for the similar little free pantry). This way anyone can update the entries over the years.
- keeda 8mo agoThese can show up on Google Maps, which is how I found out about them. I once had time to kill in a neighboring town and so I thought I'd check out the local library, and a marker saying "Little Free Library" showed up nearby. Imagine my confusion when I ended up in the middle of a residential area and did not find anything resembling a library. I cruised back and forth in the neighborhood, to the point I started worrying about looking suspicious, before I saw this little box on a corner and then it clicked. Now I see them everywhere.
- casey2 8mo agoThis seems like the worst of both worlds. If you don't care about the social/interpersonal aspect of reading then just use the internet. If you do, go to a real library. Seems to be entirely a boredom-fueled bird-watching project for the maintainer. It's not a "nice thing" at all it's an out of place paternalistic nudge that makes teens feel unsafe in their neighborhood. The only nice things that comes from them are teens "blowing them up", artists vandalizing them or homeless/vagrants selling the books.
- hw-guy 8mo agoWow. "Makes teens feel unsafe"? Care to explain that? The rest of your comment is so absurd I'm not going to bother asking.
- ottah 8mo agoNot wanting to too negative, but this is just a rich person affection. You don't see these in low income neighborhoods for a reason. It can only exist where there isn't a real need, because if this was meant to fulfill a need, it would be wholly inadequate. It's like all those ventilator projects people were making during COVID. Feel good busy work, most of it went straight into the trash.
- mezentius 8mo ago1) People who don’t derive pleasure from reading do generally see it as an affection, because they can’t understand the appeal outside of apparent status-signaling. Reading, and discovering new material to read, is in fact an intensely selfish pleasure, but it is not a natural pleasure; if you didn’t get hooked in childhood, it’s probably not possible to convince you, and so you will forever see someone offering you a free book as some kind of hostile, elitist signal. 2) There are a lot of reasons why LFLs may not always thrive in low-income neighborhoods (although there are quite a few in mine, and it’s no Beverly Hills), but I would suggest that it is not because the residents exist in some higher state of authenticity.
- ottah 8mo agoHa, nice try on throwing shade. I read voraciously, and have done so since I could pick up my first book. I don't think there's any more or less dignity in being poor, but neither am I impressed with these weird things wealthy people do to appear socially responsible. It's not solidarity, it's not really mutual aid, it's just performative. It's charity, but only a tiny amount, in only the places where it's not needed. I guarantee you, if someone from my neighborhood walked through a neighbourhood with these things and tried to pick up a book, you'd have Aurora PD with a boot on their neck before they made it back home. Honestly, ultimately it's not that I think these are bad, but the attention to them is just gauche. It's weird to draw attention to this thing that I've literally only seen privileged people put up infront of their homes.
- ottah 8mo agoAh, the lovely downvotes of the fragile people who can't stand someone not liking their thing