Gail McGuire/The BUZZ
Alayne McGregor
Little Free Libraries–those wooden cabinets on posts stuffed with books–have been sprouting up in front yards across Ottawa during the pandemic. They allow readers to find new books or to drop off ones they’ve finished for others to enjoy.
A Centretowner has made it easier to find local free libraries by putting them on a map, which so far includes nine locations in Centretown and 25 in urban Ottawa. Caitlyn Pascal, who runs a free library on McLeod Street, has published it at goo.gl/maps/8BLyXgx17R5QAxAN7 (also linked from twitter.com/LFL_McLeod.).
The reason? She’d like the little libraries to become destinations for people as they walk around their neighbourhoods. They encourage people “to stop in front of houses that aren’t theirs, in the same way a bench invites pedestrians to stop. Most times, we travel along a vector until we reach a destination, but things that get us to slow down increase the chances of seeing neighbours and noticing the city around us,” she said.
“When you’re out walking a dog, it’s very difficult to not take a moment and peek at new books.”
The LFLs also offer “a constant suggestion to return to books as an activity,” she said, and encourage people “to purge their books by giving a low-effort place for them to go.”
Pascal said she gets a steady stream of traffic at her LFL, which has been up for about four years,
“If a book is in the box for four days I will move it on to a different box, but about 60 percent of the books that go into our box get picked up within three days. We have given away thousands and thousands of books. Probably 8k+.”
Many of the books came from people passing by, she said, but the biggest source has been Black Squirrel Books, which has donated about 80 percent of all the books her LFL has given away. These books are from people who bring in books to the store that cannot be sold and who don’t want them back, so the bookstore donates them to charities and to free libraries.
Most of the libraries on the map Pascal found by stumbling upon them, she said. She’s happy to add more locations: tweet her at @LFL_McLeod.
“I really like the idea of having the LFL map as a destination because it gives a chance to make a plan that involves exploring the city and maybe finding something awesome, but it doesn’t cost a cent. It’s not going out for a fancy drink or something that costs admission. Just pick some spots on the map, go check the libraries, and you might find something you or a friend will enjoy. And worst-case scenario you’ve had a great trip and maybe seen some parts of the city you might not have poked your head into.”