So for those who don’t know what a Lending Library is, it’s pretty simple. Basically I put a small library of books in my front yard, usually in a weather-proof containter, and people are welcome to “take” the books.
They’re supposed to return them, hence the library aspect, but that’s not always the case.
I’ve thought about maybe having an lending library of my own one day. You sort of need to have a front yard in a high foot traffic area, which I am not in at the moment.
I kind of like the idea though, but I think I’d make mine a little different from this. Instead of it being a library, I would like to make it more like a swap meet.
You take a book in my little library and leave one in its place. That way its like sharing a story with a stranger, and the possibilities of the books that will be swapped could be amazing.
There would be a few options in there, and they would be books I enjoyed, but ones I’m okay with getting rid of.
It would give people a chance to get a free book that they may not have known about before, and it would give me the chance to discover books that I may not have seen. You can do a lot with it. Each person can write their name and when they read the book inside the cover, books can be traded or put back.
The potential is limitless.
A lending “library” is something I’d like to do one day, but my only concern is that are others interested. Would other people want to borrow books, or would the books just sit there and collect dust.
I guess that’s something I would need to try one day. I just need to get a front yard with a sidewalk in front of it first.
Would you consider setting up a lending library? Or have you seen one in your neighborhood? I’d love to share some stories about it! Let me know in the comments!!!
I love the idea of strangers swapping books. Like you, I’d love to have my own someday, but I don’t live in a place with a lot of foot traffic unfortunately.
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I think it could be neat idea for people or businesses in downtowns and stuff to look into it. Either way it’s a neat idea
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I meant to come back and respond to this- but I forgot. Have you heard of S. by J.J. Abrams? You might like it. It’s a mystery with some unique formatting. The premise is- there’s an author V.S. who writes much beloved books, but no one knows his identity. A student, Eric, is trying to crack the case. One day, he lives his book, Ship of Theseus in the library, and Jenny, who works there, picks it up, reads it, and starts making notes in the margins. Together they go back and forth trying to solve the mystery.
It wasn’t one of my favorites, but the experience was fun. The whole idea of strangers swapping books reminded me of it.
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No I’ve never heard of it before. That sounds really cool though. I didn’t know Abrams wrote any books. I’ve added it to my list of books to read.
I’ve actually been meaning to get into more mystery books lately. Haven’t had much chance to dive in to that genre yet
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I think he co-wrote it with Doug Dorst? You should definitely check it out if you can! It comes stuffed with a bunch of clues for the reader to look at along the way. It really was a unique experience.
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Already done! Looks interesting. It’s been added to my wish list. 🙂 thanks for the suggestion
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