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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2012 12:38:42 GMT
Today, in about an hour or so this little gem will be arriving in my immediate neighborhood. (adjacent to our community garden, which this woman also donated the land to be used for). A dear friend of mine conceived of the idea and sought to implement it and today her hard work will be rewarded. Constructed from wood salvaged from Hurricane Katrina ravaged houses and built by some neighborhood craftsmen it will be a true testament of one of the many reasons why NOLA has survived and why I love this place so much. www.littlefreelibrary.org/(check out the ones made from old London telephone booths!!! COOL!!! ) To Be Continued....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2012 14:24:11 GMT
Here it is just after it arrived this morning. The library sent along a box of books,and my friend Carol and I put them in!!! My first book, The Island of The Colorblind,Oliver Sacks
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Post by lugg on Jun 2, 2012 15:08:37 GMT
What a brilliant idea. Enjoy your read.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 3, 2012 5:27:33 GMT
Totally knocked out by this movement! What a warm, human endeavor. I had fun looking at the map of Little Libraries and just love the pic of y'all's new little house of books.
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Post by spanishmoss on Jun 3, 2012 17:38:08 GMT
We have this in my little town. Actually, we have two of them. They really are cool.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2012 6:35:07 GMT
They are currently testing a multipurpose bus stop shelter in Paris containing numerous new ideas, and one of the elements is a bookshelf for people to leave and take books whenever they want. I have not gone to see this thing myself yet, but I kind of have doubts that it can succeed open and unprotected 24/7 in the big city if only because there are so many ragpickers in the streets now. If they can find anything that they can sell for 5 or 10 cents, they will take it.
However, at the Cent Quatre cultural warehouse in my neighbourhood, there is a little free book caravan that seems to be working just fine. I have a number of books that I no longer need or want and must remember to drop them off there.
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Post by nycgirl on Jun 4, 2012 19:09:08 GMT
What a wonderful idea. Your library is lovely.
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Post by Kimby on Jun 4, 2012 23:52:06 GMT
I have not gone to see this thing myself yet, but I kind of have doubts that it can succeed open and unprotected 24/7 in the big city if only because there are so many ragpickers in the streets now. If they can find anything that they can sell for 5 or 10 cents, they will take it. I wondered that too, though my first thought was that book pages make pretty good toilet paper if you don't have any...
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Post by Kimby on Jun 4, 2012 23:53:05 GMT
Meant to also say I really like this idea, and someone has donated their book collection in my town to start one of these, too.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2012 11:16:48 GMT
Thanks good people!! I think that more than anything, one of the problems is going to be people dropping off more books than the little house can handle and subsequently them being exposed to the elements and ruined. (This type of thing happens at many of the local thrift stores. People drop off bags of unwanted clothes etc. and leave them outside unprotected and many times they all get ruined. The bins for them to be put in will be full and people leave them anyway.) My friend is in the process,if she hasn't already,of drawing up and posting some parameters to deal with this. Any suggestions that y'all may have would be most welcome!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 6, 2012 14:50:30 GMT
I had been wondering about that, in fact it was my first thought upon seeing this delightful idea. The simplest idea would work well in your particular Little Library, since there is foliage to disguise it. What about one of those heavy rubberoid plastic bins with a hinged lid, in a color like dark green, which could set at the base of the Library? It might be a good idea to put some holes in the back of it in order to run wire or tie wraps through & affix it to the fence. Better yet, a board fixed horizontally to the fence with lag bolts run through the container through the fence slats. That would also keep the bin far enough away from the fence to allow space for easily opening the lid. It would need to have something in the bottom of the bin to keep the books from direct contact with the floor, as extra protection from moisture -- think giant cheese container. It wouldn't be completely moisture proof, but I assume it would be checked regularly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Any Port in a Storm's Facebook Page has Liked Little Free Library's Facebook Page. The most recent entry on that Page is the Little Free Library at 3100 DeSoto Street, New Orleans. Doesn't this one need to be included there?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2012 19:02:42 GMT
Fabulous idea,I will pass it on !! Thank you! As you know Bixa, from having lived in this immediate neighborhood, ( actually, in the house adjacent to the lot where the Community Garden and the Little Library is)... the area is almost all residential,most of the traffic passing by there is pedestrian or bicycle. It's not on a commercial strip. That's the old Spedele Grocery in the background! No problem at all with our' Little Library' being on FB, go for it! Thanks again!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2012 10:31:36 GMT
With regard to the aforementioned dilemma of what the protocol should be, my friend who organized this little gem is going to just wait and see, and, hope that people use common sense and don't leave out a whole pile of books. Optimistic I think, but a testament to her laid back and relaxed demeanor and attitude which I could use more of. If it seems to be getting out of hand and people leave books beyond the limit of what the structure can safely hold, she will just put up a note to please not leave more than it can withstand. Makes sense to me. We'll see.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2012 17:25:29 GMT
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Post by bjd on Sept 8, 2012 18:37:13 GMT
Last week a few of us went for a walk in the evening to a place with very few people going by, especially in the evening. We found 2 books put on 2 benches, with little notes "anyone who wants, take this book". It also looked like it was going to rain so a friend and I each took one. They were not registered with Book Crossing -- just left there.
I started reading mine but it's not really very interesting, so I guess I will abandon it somewhere soon.
I think there are also "book trees"' in Berlin, but I haven't seen any.
I'm glad that even though book publishing is having a hard time, people are still buying and sharing books.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2012 13:24:17 GMT
An update on our Little Library. Despite earlier concerns of people leaving bags or boxes of books, a simple common sense approach based on a little sign has proven successful. We also put a thank you note on the door some time back to send to the good people who brought us this little gem. People were able to convey their gratitude for their kind gesture. The children's section seems to be the most popular which is always a good sign IMHO that kids are reading actual books and not all hooked on video games.
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Post by mossie on Oct 14, 2012 15:04:05 GMT
Good for you to encourage younger readers.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2013 10:32:57 GMT
Still going strong, the children's section in particular is very popular and active. On the way back from a bike ride this past week I picked up a wonderful book on Growing Fruits and Nuts For the South. Fabulous reference book and a real score!!!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2014 16:11:04 GMT
I've been seeing more and more of these little libraries all over town in the last year. They seem to be a great success. I know "ours" is doing splendidly. Much of it has to do with it's location, right in front of the community garden, and, in a neighborhood where a lot of people walk (high dog population). It always seems very well stocked with a variety of tomes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2014 16:56:03 GMT
Our neighbour across the street on Whidbey Island has created one of these mini libraries, which we think is cool, but then she advertised it on the local version of craigslist, which we think is not. Ours is a quiet dead-end street and our property has been broken into and vandalised when we're absent, and having the book box located directly across from our empty driveway is a provocation for the more unsavoury characters looking to get free stuff (like our power tools and equipment). Anyway, probably silly fears, but we'll see. I do love the idea and have dropped off books already (the trashy ones I would be embarrassed to take in for exchange ).
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 28, 2014 18:01:19 GMT
Thanks, Patrick.
Great to hear of the continuing and burgeoning success, Casimira.
Lizzy, could you ask a neighbor to park in your drive when you're out of town?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 17:26:34 GMT
I need to take some books to the free book wagon at the CentQuatre. But I think I will take some books in English to provide some variety.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2014 16:48:25 GMT
That last photo immediately brought to mind the scene(s) in the movie The Shawshank Redemption and the prominent role that the character who was the prison 'librarian' played in that film brilliantly, although tragic. I suppose "little libraries" of all different natures historically, have played a prominent role in the history of mankind as this thread has clearly brought to light.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 22, 2014 2:21:27 GMT
I haven't seen this library in operation yet, but will be on the lookout for it. A "diablo", besides meaning devil, also means a hand truck or dolly, I suppose because the handles look like horns. Any of you who've seen the abastos market in my threads will know that diablos are a hallmark of that market & will appreciate the clever name of this mobile library --
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Post by lola on May 22, 2014 16:19:17 GMT
I love it.
(Actually I love all of these. So many APIAS gems I've missed.)
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 5:36:25 GMT
Diable is the word for hand trolleys in French as well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 10, 2014 16:02:26 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 5, 2015 16:29:20 GMT
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Post by bjd on Dec 5, 2015 18:17:09 GMT
Thanks, Bixa. I just watched the Spanish interview with the guy. Great initiative on his part.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 5, 2015 21:10:00 GMT
I just love how each person treats the book he or she receives as a real treasure.
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