Little Free Libraries

[kcjak]

Am I the only one who hates Little Free Libraries? I feel like I just turned into an old geezer, but as a homeowner in Kansas City who pays property taxes that go (in part) to fund the KC library system, I hate seeing the proliferation of the Little Free Library, which removes citizens and children from the library experience.

I understand the argument that families are too busy to go to the public library and the LFL is a great way to encourage kids to read, but when I went to vote last week at the Westport-Roanoke Community Center, a LFL was stationed right by the front door. So my tax money goes toward the community center, but the LFL is encouraging people NOT to visit the public library that our tax money supports. End rant.

[joshmv]

Honest question... are they really having that big of an impact? I never see them, but I also live in OP where they may not be allowed.

[flyingember]

I would argue that your example of the Roanoke Community Center having one shows the library system needs an overhaul. It's a design from an era of car access and not one where local and walkable is important. The LFLs are showing people want access to free books closer to home.

Maybe the solution is for the library system to also provide have a system of stands with a rotating curated selection of books within half a mile of every resident? Imagine if shopping centers all had a bcycle station and a free book station side by side? The northland library system already has moved to self checkout with RFID. so imagine for that system you walk down the street to the corner shopping center, scan your card which releases the door and as you remove a book from a vertical slot an rfid reader knows exactly what you removed or added back. and checkout or checkin is complete with that simple action.

you can return to any library or any box with slots free

[pash]

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[kcjak]

Very rational position there, kcjak. Yes, let's deliberately keep from doing anything that competes with public services. Because we surely wouldn't want to find better ways of doing things or help prompt our public services to specialize in the things that can't be easily an cheaply done in other ways!

No need to be a dick.

[pash]

.

[PumpkinStalker]

We have a little free library I built for the wifey. It's a replica of our own house, and I would say that having it has introduced us to many new people in the neighborhood. It was installed April 2014 and gets very regular traffic. We have children's books, how-to books, trashy romance novels, everything. At one point we even had a brand new, shrink wrapped season 1 of Friends on DVD. It's especially good for teens that aren't driving yet, but are babysitting younger siblings, they come down throughout the summer to grab books.

The wife gets really into it. She puts sidewalk chalk out and encourages people to draw their favorite book character on the sidewalk in front of our house. So far we haven't had any obscene drawings.....but some really sweet Cat in the Hats, Harry Potters, the like.

Honestly the last book I've probably read was a choose-your-own-adventure in sixth grade, circa 1993. I can't sit still to read.

[NDTeve]

Am I the only one who hates Little Free Libraries? I feel like I just turned into an old geezer, but as a homeowner in Kansas City who pays property taxes that go (in part) to fund the KC library system, I hate seeing the proliferation of the Little Free Library, which removes citizens and children from the library experience.

I understand the argument that families are too busy to go to the public library and the LFL is a great way to encourage kids to read, but when I went to vote last week at the Westport-Roanoke Community Center, a LFL was stationed right by the front door. So my tax money goes toward the community center, but the LFL is encouraging people NOT to visit the public library that our tax money supports. End rant.

Get off my lawn!

[kboish]

What I want to know is where they find librarians small enough to service these tiny establishments? What is this, a library for ANTS?!