The thing that draws me to street libraries is the element of whimsy that comes with stumbling across a collection of books in an unlikely location.
Street Libraries or Little Libraries are dotted all over the world. Some librarians paint intricate designs on theirs, while others leave extra treats such as bookmarks or book bingo cards. It is a treat to discover a book that you’ve had your eye on but it is also just as sweet to leave a book for the next person. I often think about where these books end up. Are they taken to a home library? Are they read while travelling and then deposited into a little library in another town? What did the reader think of the story?
For years, I yearned for my own little street library and now my dreams are coming to fruition. I was recently the lucky winner of a competition run by Affirm Press and Street Library Australia. I’ll soon be receiving my very own library full of books. To say I was excited is an understatement. I could barely contain my emotions which elicited a few strange looks from the people I was in a meeting with at the time. 😁
I’ve since been researching how to make it a fantastic little library. The possibilities are endless – bookmarks, book bingo cards, pet rocks, doggy treats, new books, used books, pokemon stops, and so on.
My daughters and I settled on the name Quirky Quill Street Library and I’ve started an Instagram page for it. There’s only an introductory post while I (impatiently) wait for the parcels to arrive but I’d love it if you could follow along as I build and maintain my little street library.
If you’ve got a little library of your own, what are your thoughts? Any ideas for launching? What do you do to keep things fresh? What little surprises do you include?