Introducing Little Free Library #2646

Even though I've yet to see one in person, I like that pop-up libraries exist. For those who don't know, a pop-up library is an outdoor public space established for the free exchange of books for the benefit of those in the community. That space, which is either assembled or repurposed by an individual or a group of individuals, can be an abandoned phone booth, bike basket, birdhouse, or a custom-made container that shields the books from the elements.

Little Free Library #2646.
Image via Amy Seidenwurm/boingboing.net

I love the whimsy of the pop-up library. I also have an appreciation for the do-it-yourself mind-set that makes such a thing possible. And the fact that the basic purpose of the pop-up library is to make books more much accessible to everyone in the community is something that I think is amazing. For someone like myself, who is for the democratization of information, the pop-up library is a fantastic idea. It's much better than just abandoning a pile a books on a sidewalk or a curb, which is something I see a lot of.

Among the newer pop-up libraries that are springing up across the country and around the world is Little Free Library #2646, which you can see in the photo above. The finishing touches were put on it just last week by Amy Seidenwurm; her husband, Russell Bates; and their friend Wesley Smith. They decided to put it in a vacant lot that is conveniently located near their house and a nursery school, and according to Seidenwurm, they have "already had donations from neighbors of all ages and a few books have been borrowed." To see more photos of Little Free Library #2646, go HERE.

Pop-Up Libraries Proliferate in Unexpected Places

Cute and quirky, but quite useful, pop-up libraries are increasingly occupying unexpected spaces all across the world.

A mini library housed in a once-abandoned red phone booth in the UK. (Image: Inhabitat.com)

They are showing up in phone booths in the UK and the US, shipping containers in the Netherlands, and trolleybuses in Bulgaria. They are even materializing in birdhouses! Essentially, pop-up libraries are community-maintained lending libraries conveniently established in places you pass by every day. And currently, they're all the rage.

Personally, I question if you can call these miniature setups "libraries" if there is no librarian on hand to keep them organized and relay information to the public. Still, it's a novel idea, and anything that promotes literacy and makes books more accessible to people is definitely a good thing.

Recently, Inhabitat.com took a look at "6 Delightful Pop-Up Libraries to Encourage Reading This Summer." You can see them HERE.