Street Libraries are homes for books, planted in families’ front yard. They are accessible from the street, and are an invitation to share the joys of reading with neighbours. Street Libraries’ books come and go without checking them in or out. People can simply reach in and take what interests them; when they are done, they can return them to the Street Library Australia network or pass them on. If anyone has a book they think others would enjoy, they can just pop it into a Street Library they are passing. Street Libraries are helping to inspire a love of books in children.
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The Dwyers set up a Street Library outside their Bundaberg home Qld, noting that it was a great way to meet locals who also love books, recycle books and find new books. The library helped them create community spirit! It was wonderful to encourage locals to connect with their community; they had heaps of books, thanks to locals donating boxes full.
Street Libraries became popular during Covid when communities needed ways to stay connected in lockdowns. Denise Campbell set up her street library in Hervey Bay during the 2020-2 lockdowns that helped the neighbours to communicate with each other, even though they weren't able to go to each other's houses. Street Libraries also made it easier for kids to access books, rather than buying from a book shop or borrowing from a school library.
As long as the Street Library is installed securely and out of the way of foot traffic, there are few rules. Be sure to keep the Street Library in good condition, to encourage people to use it and avoid complaints! But there are some recommendations. 1]Weatherproof the library by incorporating eaves into the design, thus protecting the books from rain. 2]Paint the library with a thick undercoat layer, decorative layer and a clear external varnish. 3]A picture frame without the image makes an excellent door frame and allows good visibility. 4]Use an old bar fridge or vamp up an old TV cabinet. 5]Enter Street Library Australia, the book-loving organisation with heaps of ideas.
People can simply reach in and take what interests them; when they are finished, they can return them to the Street Library network, or pass them on to friends. If anyone has a book that they think others would enjoy, they can pop it into any Street Library they are walking past.
To get involved, interested families can attend one of the workshops, and build their own Street Library. Or purchase a pre-made Street Library and get started as a Street Librarian right away. Or donate books to someone else's Street Library.
**Another programme to be celebrated is the National Library of Israel/NLI which holds 5 million books, as well as the world’s largest collections of Hebraica, Judaica, rare manuscripts and artefacts. Founded in 1892, the NLI has accompanied the emerging state on its entire ride.
The Oct 2023 massacre left Israel broken hearted, so the Library got activated. Staff moved to the Library’s former building in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, vacant since the institution’s recently relocated to its new site close to the Israel Museum. Volunteer teachers flocked to help; class rooms were scrubbed and fitted out; sports equipment and artworks from Bezalel Academy were taken so the shocked refugee children targeted by rockets could study and enjoy; permission was organised from the Ministry of Education.
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street library in front of a family home
WeekendNotes
Noelene & Greg Dwyer add books to their library.
ABC News
Street Library Australia owed a large debt to U.S’s Little Free Libraries. The notion of a free, accessible place to find and leave books appealed to Australians who wanted to encourage neighbourliness and promote literacy. The project could ensure that all people have access to literature, even if they don’t come from bookish homes.
Nic Lowe started Street Library Australia after seeing this U.S project while travelling. Street Libraries are weatherproof boxes set up outside a house or in a public space, filled with books that locals can take from, or donate to. Nic said it was awesome that after an initial Builders Workshop building 30 libraries in Nov 2015, there were now c4,500 registered Street Libraries in Australia.
Nic Lowe started Street Library Australia after seeing this U.S project while travelling. Street Libraries are weatherproof boxes set up outside a house or in a public space, filled with books that locals can take from, or donate to. Nic said it was awesome that after an initial Builders Workshop building 30 libraries in Nov 2015, there were now c4,500 registered Street Libraries in Australia.
The Dwyers set up a Street Library outside their Bundaberg home Qld, noting that it was a great way to meet locals who also love books, recycle books and find new books. The library helped them create community spirit! It was wonderful to encourage locals to connect with their community; they had heaps of books, thanks to locals donating boxes full.
Street Libraries became popular during Covid when communities needed ways to stay connected in lockdowns. Denise Campbell set up her street library in Hervey Bay during the 2020-2 lockdowns that helped the neighbours to communicate with each other, even though they weren't able to go to each other's houses. Street Libraries also made it easier for kids to access books, rather than buying from a book shop or borrowing from a school library.
As long as the Street Library is installed securely and out of the way of foot traffic, there are few rules. Be sure to keep the Street Library in good condition, to encourage people to use it and avoid complaints! But there are some recommendations. 1]Weatherproof the library by incorporating eaves into the design, thus protecting the books from rain. 2]Paint the library with a thick undercoat layer, decorative layer and a clear external varnish. 3]A picture frame without the image makes an excellent door frame and allows good visibility. 4]Use an old bar fridge or vamp up an old TV cabinet. 5]Enter Street Library Australia, the book-loving organisation with heaps of ideas.
People can simply reach in and take what interests them; when they are finished, they can return them to the Street Library network, or pass them on to friends. If anyone has a book that they think others would enjoy, they can pop it into any Street Library they are walking past.
To get involved, interested families can attend one of the workshops, and build their own Street Library. Or purchase a pre-made Street Library and get started as a Street Librarian right away. Or donate books to someone else's Street Library.
**Another programme to be celebrated is the National Library of Israel/NLI which holds 5 million books, as well as the world’s largest collections of Hebraica, Judaica, rare manuscripts and artefacts. Founded in 1892, the NLI has accompanied the emerging state on its entire ride.
The Oct 2023 massacre left Israel broken hearted, so the Library got activated. Staff moved to the Library’s former building in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, vacant since the institution’s recently relocated to its new site close to the Israel Museum. Volunteer teachers flocked to help; class rooms were scrubbed and fitted out; sports equipment and artworks from Bezalel Academy were taken so the shocked refugee children targeted by rockets could study and enjoy; permission was organised from the Ministry of Education.
The NLI fitted out a bookmobile that travelled around the country from Dec 2023, bringing hours of enchantment to refugee school children wherever they were. The vehicle, designed like a cuddly cat, was crammed full of children’s books; modern fiction, and beloved Israeli & general classics
cuddly cat bookmobile
J-Wire
Once the bookmobile parked, children gathered round to see by Hanoch Reim's play It’s Not Just a Story, featuring a cop who fined a bookseller without a licence, only to fall in love with the books. After the play, they provide children with time to browse and read the books that fill the van’s shelves. At the end of each session, every child received a book as a gift, donated by Israeli book publishers.
Children select their books from inside the van
and can sit down outside or take the book home
jewishrenaissance
The bookmobile visited children at 40 refugee centres serving those displaced from Israel’s border communities where the October tragedy occurred. The Education and Culture Dept at the National Library said in these difficult days, the children need magic that can create stories, words and spirit especially for them, so the librarians avoided all stories dealing with trauma and fear. Having survived terrorism, the bookmobile became a first-class educational activity that helped children return to the learning experience in an enriching, resilient way in terrible times.
By gifting the children with magic and relief, the youngsters learned about the transformational power of reading. Additionally in an age where screens and virtual technology reign supreme, this bookmobile project planned to revive a love of books. You might enjoy reading Khoollect .