Something small, maybe… but its powerful : Free Libraries

When I took business courses in college, the collective reading for my Organizational Theory and Sociology and Marketing Research classes taught me that "leading by example" is of the utmost importance.  And that "Good deeds that are done for the collective good" are contagious.  My own personal reading of famed author, Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point (specifically page 141--I had to look it up again to recall the page for you) taught me "the broken glass theory".  Using the morbid, politically-neglected NYC of the late 1970s/early 1980s, Gladwell tells the story of a reformer at the Metropolitan Transit Authority [I think we need another right now, too].  The gist of the story is that when people see that broken windows in a neighborhood go un-repaired, it encourages more vandalism and destruction… because hoodlums think that they can get away with it and that nobody cares.  When graffiti is allowed to stay on subway cars, it encourages more.  When there's no enforcement at subway turnstiles or against "performing dancers" or "thugs" on subway cars, it allows for more.  However, when those broken windows are promptly repaired, when the graffiti is washed away nightly, and when law enforcement punishes for crimes on the subway, those behaviors stop.  Regular people realize that somebody "cares" about the system and the neighborhood, and they begin to care, too.  Just like when a trash-filled empty lot is turned into a well-tended community garden.

     I'm reminded of a "public service commercial" in the mid-1980s that showed a crowded subway/train car.  A man drops litter on the floor.  Suddenly, the people around him notice it and glare at him--in growing numbers--until he feels guilty enough to retrieve his trash.  Its an effective commercial.  

     And that's why its important for citizens (whether from working hands or wallets) and government sponsorships to create places in the community that show "they care".  Just as Danny Meyer did for Union Square in the 1980s and Madison Square Park.  Just as Bette Midler did for Harlem "small parks".  Just as empty warehouses of Brooklyn evolved into the "butterfly-colorful" shops, small-batch eateries and galleries of today.  To that end, I came across photos of a great trend growing across the country.   Its called "Little Free Libraries".  What an amazing idea!  It allows for the Honor (Honesty) System to be in effect.  It allows for people to take/borrow/deposit books. It encourages reading!  If placed near bus stops or places where people might sit to rest/wait, it offers a leisure (or knowledge-building) activity.  And it invites the creativity/building-skills/design skills of those members of the community who want to build them.

     That's why I titled this post "Small but powerful" because I imagine that if you were ambling down a street and saw one of those Little Free Libraries, you'd be pleasantly surprised.  It'd make you feel good about the area: that apparently the people care, that its a safe place, that people are generous and trusting.  Hopefully, it'd encourage you to participate or at least spread the word to your friends.  The local citizenry take pride in their creation.  It teaches excellent lessons to kids and observers.  Mission accomplished.  And I think you get my point, without further lengthy writing on my part, lol.  Go enjoy your day, and maybe you'll spot something similar in your travels!  Or maybe you'll create one.

Incidentally, two months after I made this blog entry and was at nearby Socrates Sculpture Park, one of the guys who works there (and who'd enjoyed this post), was happy to show me that our park now had a mini library, too!