Little Libraries

Posted March 9, 2014 by Gemma Doyle

One of the first things I learned from working in public and special libraries was that even though they all provided more or less the same services to the community they served, there were countless differences in how they functioned and what people even meant when they said “library.”  The wonderful thing about libraries is that they don’t have to exist in a certain way. They can be the giant buildings with borrowing cards and policies, but they can also just be a small shelf of books that people are invited to take and replace as they will, all for free. 

Little Free Libraries are a network of tiny libraries set up on street corners and curated by anyone who wants to put in the work, who have free books that anyone can come along and take, and leave their own books in.  There are 10,000 – 12,000 Little Free Libraries set up around the world, including seven in the Metro Boston area, mostly in Cambridge and Somerville.  They each have their own eclectic selection of books, so they’re all worth visiting. 

Simmons GSLIS has its own Little Library for GSLIS students to borrow from freely.  It’s stocked by the PLG (Progressive Librarians Guild) student group, and free for anyone to use.  It’s located in the second floor lockers in the Palace Road building – just look for the one with the red and black “Locker Library” label right outside the Tech Lab.  The combination is on the outside, too.  It’s a fun way for GSLIS students to share resources with each other, and the collection inside the locker is always changing, so it’s worth it to check several times a semester.