Street Library: Myaree mum envisions community book swapping

IMAGINE a constantly changing collection of books on your doorstep, and your neighbour’s, and the family at the end of the street too.

That is the vision behind Street Library, a nationwide initiative that aims to plant books in the front yards of homes across Australia.

Launched in Sydney in late 2015, Street Library has quickly spread across the country, with six mini-libraries currently located in Perth.

The most recent addition to the WA roster is on Bolas Court in Myaree and officially opened at the start of the month courtesy of Tracey Flynn and her family.

“About four weeks ago I went over to Sydney to stay with a friend and she was busy painting her own Street Library box to look like a solar system,” Mrs Flynn said.

“It caught my attention and so I asked her all about and it just sounded like such a phenomenal project.”

The premise behind Street Library is simple – participants place a box, or some other container, in their front yard and fill it up with books.

Passersby are then encouraged to pick-up or drop off books as they please, creating a rotating supply of free books.

“We put out our empty Street Library box on a Friday morning and by the time we got home that afternoon it was already full,” Mrs Flynn said.

“I’ve already taken out three books for my own personal consumption and we’ve seen various people take books out and put them in so there is a lot of movement and what is available is always changing.”

“It is important to point out that if someone takes a book, there is no expectation they bring it back; it’s theirs to keep if they want it.”

Anybody interested in joining the Street Library project is encouraged to visit streetlibrary.org.au for more information.