Do you and your Brisbane Kids love reading? Do you have books on every shelf in every room collecting dust? Do you love to give back to the community? Then perhaps you could consider being involved in a local Street Library.
Street Libraries are on the increase in Australia since being introduced in 2015, and are popping up outside businesses, homes and on street corners.
What is a Street Library?
A Street Library is a type of book exchange, which operates on an honour system, where community members donate a book, take a book or share a book. They are designed to be accessible to everyone, both adults and children, with no registration needed, no card required and best of all it is free!
Street Libraries are filled with books which community members donate when they no longer need them. Books will differ from location to location, and potentially from week to wee, ranging from classic children’s story books to travel guides, cookbooks, textbooks or novels.
Benefits of Street Libraries
The benefits of reading, and as a result, Street Libraries, are varied. Books that end up in a Street Library are often saved from being dust collectors or landfill, which in turn benefits the environment. This initiative can also instil a sense of community in those which use the library.
One of the things I love about borrowing from a Street Library is the variety of books available, which encourages you to broaden your reading horizons, knowing that if it is not for you, you can always return it and exchange it for another book.
Unlike your more traditional library, Street Libraries have no time limit on how long you can keep a book and they are open 24 hours a day, seven-days a week.
Establishing a Street Library is also a wonderful project for community groups, schools, childcare centres and families, as a way to give back to the local neighbourhood, create a cycle of giving and instil a love of reading amongst others.
Find a Street Library Near You
Street Libraries can pop up in the most interesting places: squished between a café and a church, nestled in the corner of someone’s front yard, resting under a tree in a park or by the entrance of a childcare centre.
Ready to find a Street Library? Simply jump online at https://streetlibrary.org.au/ and use the ‘Find’ function. Just remember, not all Street Libraries are registered, so you may actually find one closer to you than you think. As you are going about your day-to-day business in your neighbourhood, keep your eyes open for one. (This is also a great challenge for the children!!)
A quick search revealed Street Libraries in Redcliffe, Chermside, Taigum, Mitchelton, Bardon, Highgate Hill, Alderley, Capalaba, Moorooka and Crestmead, just to name a few, so why not head out to find your nearest Street Library or better still, start your own!!
And if you happen to be travelling anywhere in Australia, you can take advantage of any street library that might present itself before you.
For Further Information
To locate a Street Library near you, obtain a kit or to register a Street Library you have built head to https://streetlibrary.org.au/
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