Installed Little Library

Re: Installed Little Library

Garthfromsandiego

Nice job. I'm sure it will be appreciated by many.

mine was repurposed

Jack Guzman from Maine

A year ago the pastor of the local church asked me to build one of those for religious books. Since the coronavirus it has been repurposed to hold food for local needy people to come and help themselves. There are also plastic tubs to hold overflow. The people of the town who have it to spare are the donors.

Re: Installed Little Library

Ellis Walentine

Nice, JL.

My neighbor here in Florida just figured out that I'm a woodworker and asked me what I thought about building a little free library to put out in the little island between our driveways. Yikes, says I. Another project.

Anyhow, I'm wondering about design criteria. I know it needs a roof and a door and a post, but what about overall size, interior divisions, etc.? Tips for placement, e.g., is a residential street a good place? We don't have much pedestrian traffic, and no sidewalk. If we put it at the beach or in some public spaces, we won't be seeing people stopping by to take/leave a book.

I know these things are valuable, but I'm trying to get a handle on the rationale and any strategy.

Ellis

Home page of LL *LINK*

JL

Design is up to you.

They have to be reasonably weather tight of course.

I have seen them in strip malls, beaches, parks, etc. We have one near the playground at a local park (to while away the hours while the kids play). I put this one up at the Towns County beach at the lake - near the picnic pavilions.

Usually not in neighborhoods though.


Little Library

Re: Installed Little Library

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

A friend of ours has one, and has a lot of fun with it. Books flow in.

If you build one, put the door at four feet from the ground, which should meet ADA standards, and try to place it where a wheelchair can approach it.

Locations?

Henry (Raleigh NC)

All 3 of the LLs I am familiar with are on 'more public' property:

- local elementary school,

- a church in our neighborhood (which has added a food library),

- a friend placed one at their 'neighborhood pool' property, at the sidewalk.

That does not mean in any way that you could not place them on your own personal property, but visibility and accessibility are factors to consider.

Henry

Re: Installed Little Library

johnv

Where we winter in Tx there are a couple on residential streets but not on cue de sacs. This is a town with a lot of winter residents who are used to walking a fair amount. Even in front of laundry mats or grocery stores with permission.

Permission

Ellis Walentine

I can only imagine that some sort of written permission would be necessary anywhere but your own yard. I'm just wondering if the county or the local municipalities are generous with this sort of permission, or whether it's yet another bureaucratic trap. I'm much more inclined to put it where I can see it, but I guess it needs a certain level of traffic to make it successful.

Very interesting. I notice that the decal on JL's box is for a company, presumably of woodworkers, that makes and sells these things. Might be a good cottage industry for someone.

Ellis

HIstory of Little Free Library *LINK*

Tom Dunlap

You asked, Ellis.

Down the block from me there is a little library in the front yard. I live in Minneapolis and there are sidewalks any typical housing densities. The guy who built this one put the library box 'floor' about 4.5' off the ground. Kids have NO hope of getting in the box


Little Free Library History

Re: Installed Little Library

Jack Guzman from Maine

The pastor of the church gave me specific dimensions. They mounted it on a post by the church entrance on the edge of the walk. One shelf in the center allowing for two tiers of books.

Registration

JL

There is a little "plaque" that I placed on the one I built.

This means that the Little Library is registered and numbered.

Presumably we are going to provide GPS location data for it.

They sent us a checkout book to place in the library - which I chained to the library.

Re: HIstory of Little Free Library

Ellis Walentine

Good link, Tom. It tells me a lot.

Even though we don't have much pedestrian traffic on our street, that doesn't mean that folks in our neighborhood, and possibly drive-by traffic, won't take note and appreciate a LFL.

Now, to beg the time to make and install this thing. Maybe we need to have another WoodCentral contest and give prizes for the winning designs.

Ellis

Contest idea

Tom Dunlap

A WC build contest sounds interesting.

Could one entry group be for 'Recycled'? Ground rule...buying anything to build the Free Little Library isn't allowed. Only what's on hand, including fasteners, glue and hardware. To me, it goes hand in glove with the idea of giving books a new life.

design

Jack Guzman from Maine

When I built mine I made it the same color and even built a steeple on it to match the steeple on the church it was to be installed at.