Can you put a library there? A question asked by many people
looking at many spaces in many parts of the world. From train station convenience
stores, to the back of elephants and camels, to red English phone booths, the
book reveals some of the imaginative approaches to libraries around the globe.
It would have been great if the book could have taken a
broader look at the changing nature of libraries, taking into account digital
developments and creative activates that are becoming so much a part of their
life force. But the local colour it does focus on is enthusing and vibrant,
from the necessity of the boat library in Laos, the humanity of the deaf
library in Burundi, the playfulness of the Little Free Library in New York. But these are not simply novelty fodder for
coffee tables books. These unlikely
libraries serve real people in real communities, from commuters in Madrid to
remote villagers in Mongolia. Encouraging and inspiring not just for librarians
but for members of communities everywhere.
Andreas
