Little Free Library: Tiny House-Shaped Boxes Let You Take a Book or Leave One

<a href="http://www.littlefreelibrary.org" target="_blank">Little Free Libraries</a> are tiny, house-shaped bookshares that have been <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-delightful-pop-up-libraries-to-encourage-reading-this-summer/" target="_blank">popping up all over</a>! The miniature outdoor cupboards look like quaint schoolhouses and, quite appropriately, they offer up all kinds of reading materials for people in surrounding communities to enjoy. Originally started in Wisconsin, the give a book/take a book movement even has a DIY kit available so booklovers can erect their own lil' libraries in their towns.

Little <a href="http://inhabitat.com/massimo-bartolini’s-bookyard-brings-together-a-belgian-vineyard-and-an-outdoor-library/" target="_blank">Free Library</a> enthusiasts are encouraged to build their own designs, or can easily follow instructions for the classic Little Free Library kit on the group’s website.

The website also gives clear directions for mounting the library on a post, so that it is protected and accessible to eager neighborhood readers. If starting from scratch isn’t your thing, Little Free Library models are available for order, including a 100% recycled wood and plastic model with a peaked roof like a miniature cabin.

Other models include a rustic Amish shed or cabin made from reclaimed barn wood, an outdoor cabinet made from upcycled fruit crates, and even a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/artists-craft-extraordinary-reinventions-of-red-telephone-boxes-in-london/" target="_blank">mini British Phone Booth Library</a>. Each is not only eyecatching, but also waterproof to endure winter months.

Once installed, the libraries can be registered on the Little Free Library, and will be added to their interactive map, so community members can locate their closest hutch for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/jonathan-callans-mesmerizing-organic-book-sculptures-are-swirling-masses-of-color/" target="_blank">borrowing books</a>.

Community members are encouraged to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/photos-1970s-double-decker-bus-in-berlin-transformed-into-mobile-kiosk/" target="_blank">donate their old books</a>, and to take one for themselves, then repeat the exchange process so that all of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/liu-weis-chaotic-cities-are-made-of-stacks-upon-stacks-of-recycled-text-books/" target="_blank">residents’ books</a> are shared within each other.

Many Little Free Libraries take on themes, such as History In a Box, We’re Cookin’ Now, Good Reading for Gardeners, and Books Make us Smile. Each curated library encourages people to get excited about reading, and activates the communities in which they are built.