On the surface, it looks like nothing more than an old phone booth stuffed with almost two dozen books.

But a closer inspection of the small structure reveals a weatherproof door and the letters ‘LFL’ written on the side of the booth, which was expanded to fit larger children’s books.

But this is not just any box of books — it’s a Little Free Library.

Little Free Libraries are small structures placed throughout neighborhoods that house community-based lending libraries. Operating on the premise of ‘Take a book, return a book,’ these mini-libraries promote literacy and conversation within the community, according to the Syracuse Little Free Libraries website.

‘I think this project is really going to be a shock to the community,’ said Mother Earth, a community activist who worked on the project. ‘The concept that the books are free will take a while to soak in.’

Little Free Libraries will be a new idea to many residents of the Syracuse Westside who don’t have a library within walking distance and don’t necessarily have a car to drive there, said Maarten Jacobs, director of the Near Westside Initiative, which worked on the Little Free Libraries Project.

The community faces significant literacy challenges, so placing the first Little Free Library in a convenient spot was very important, Jacobs said. Its location on Gifford Street is near two stores and a frequently used bus stop, ensuring heavy foot traffic.

The Little Free Libraries will have a design that reflects the community. The design team, which includes Zeke Leonard, a Syracuse University environmental and interior design professor, and a group of students, decided to do this by repurposing the neighborhood’s abandoned phone booths.

‘The phone booths are accessible, they’re the right height and they’re already weatherproof,’ said Katie Malatesta, a senior environmental and interior design major who helped design the libraries. ‘We also liked that the phone booths represent dialogue and communication.’

The team eventually hopes to have the outside of the booths decorated by local artists.

‘We’d like the community to take ownership of these libraries,’ said Michele Palotta, a senior industrial design major, ‘but for now we’re keeping them really raw and real.’

The process of choosing books for the libraries was driven by the community, said Jill Hurst-Wahl, a professor in the School of Information Studies, who, along with a group of students, helped choose the books.

The libraries do not have a theme, Hurst-Wahl said. Instead, the chosen books reflect the diversity of the community.

The libraries will contain a variety of books, including Spanish language books, books about different activities and books that were made into movies, said Rachael Altman and Darren Glenn, library and information science graduate students who worked on the project.

The idea for Little Free Libraries originated in Wisconsin and came to Syracuse after Hurst-Wahl tweeted about it last summer.

‘I was looking at pictures of these little structures and all the places they could go, and it really made me see all the possibilities for this project,’ she said.

To explore the possibilities, workshops were held involving students and professors from the iSchool, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and members of the community, said Jaime Snyder, Little Free Libraries’ project coordinator.

For Snyder and the others at the workshop, it was important that the community embrace the project. When they received motivation and a vision from the community members present, they knew it would be successful, Snyder said.

As for the future, Snyder said there’s no limit on how many libraries might eventually be built.

‘We decided to start small,’ she said. ‘Part of that is because the weather here in Syracuse is so rough. … Once we get it into spring and see how it does, hopefully over the summer, we’ll be able to install a bunch of them.’

The staff of the Little Free Libraries Project hopes to build a library at 601 Tully St., a local art center, and a Spanish language library at La Casita Cultural Center, Snyder said.

More than anything else, Snyder said the team hopes the libraries will be maintained and used. To ensure this happens, each library will have a steward who will be responsible for keeping it clean and well stocked.

Mother Earth will be the steward of the first Little Free Library on Gifford Street. As someone who has always struggled with reading, she said she realizes how important these libraries will be to the community.

‘A lot of people learn to read best by teaching themselves,’ she said. ‘So if they’re able to just pick up a book and try to figure it out on their own, it’s really helpful for them.’

jliannet@syr.edu

 

Published on February 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta