Little Free Library boxes have been popping up in many San Francisco neighborhoods. They come in all shapes and sizes, from repurposed cabinets, to thoughtful handmade works of art like the one above. When I saw that my friend, Fred Acebo, had made one himself I couldn't wait to find out more. Below you will find our socially distanced interview done in early July 2020.
If you're not familiar with Little Free Library Boxes, they are watertight boxes with a little door where any neighbor or passerby can donate books they are done with or browse for a "new" book to read. During the pandemic some have even transformed into mini food pantries where people put in non-perishables for those in need.
Why do I love these Little Library boxes so much? They promote reuse and zero waste, as people have a quick and easy way to donate a book or two or three. Instead of ordering a new book online, that gets sent in an oversized cardboard box no doubt, you can see what your community has been reading and save some money and time. These little libraries also promote literacy in the community by giving immediate and free access to books. A lot of the time the boxes themselves are also made of repurposed or reclaimed materials, a win-win.
As of this posting San Francisco's libraries have been closed for 5 months due to the global pandemic. Only two locations in the entire city have opened as of last week, August 10th, with more locations to open in September. These boxes become a fixture in the community that shows someone cares. Kids also learn the benefits of giving and sharing, my almost 3-year-old daughter loves them! They are little beacons of hope during these difficult times. And the power of a book whether it be a chance to escape, get educated or teach, cannot be underestimated.
What inspired you to create this Little Free Library Box?
When the shelter-in-place began, I did what many people did, I began cleaning my house. A first order of business was to organize and purge my bookshelves. Once I finished doing that, I ended up with roughly thirty books that I wanted to give away. I didn’t want to just put the books outside of my building because I wanted people to be more intentional about the books. I also didn’t want the books to just end up in the trash. I fancy myself an artsy maker, so the next step of building a Little Free Library was natural.
What was the application process? How long did it take?
The library build took a lot longer than I expected! If I’m just accounting for the building process, the base and post were far more difficult than the house itself. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to dig into the tree basin, so I decided to have the post mounted to an external base. The base is made of concrete and wood.
The application process was incredibly simple, really. I went through the organization, Little Free Library. It is my understanding that it is the first and largest non-profit lending library organization. You can actually get a premade library on their website; but, if you build your own, all you have to do is order a charter sign from their website. The charter sign is engraved with a charter number. Once you receive your charter number, you register your charter number online on the Little Free Library website, and you are then added to the global registry and map!
How did you build it and where did you get the materials?
So the Little Free Library website has a lot of helpful resources, among them are library plans. I found the woodworking plans to my library through a link there. It wasn’t the best plans I’ve ever read. There was a lot of information missing lol.
Most of the materials for the house I already had on hand from previous projects. I generally like to use reclaimed wood in my projects, both for the aesthetic ,as well as being mindful of resources and waste. The base and the post I had to purchase new, mainly for the sake of strength and durability. Since I didn’t dig a hole into the tree basin, I put 160 pounds of concrete inside the base of the library. One of my concerns was that someone would steal the lending library.
Can you describe the design and artwork of the box?
Generally, anything I make has a childlike feel to it. I like to think there’s always an element of playfulness in all my wood projects. I wanted the house to appeal to both children and adults. I painted the house with bright colors; it’s whimsical at first glance. The house is in a high traffic area, there’s a bus stop a few feet away, SF General Hospital is around the corner and Walgreens is my next-door neighbor. Needless, to say I expected the lending library to endure some graffiti and vandalism. (As I write this, a tenant in my building just messaged me that the front window to the library was busted in). With that said, I envisioned it more as an interactive art piece over the lifetime of the lending library; so, instead of painting the library with clean solid colors, I painted the walls with layered colors and wrote words of encouragement throughout the piece. I painted the bottom platform to the base much like a jawbreaker (candy) and put a row of grass that reminds me of Dr. Seuss trees. In my opinion, you can’t take it too seriously and yet I think anyone could appreciate it.
What impact do you hope it will have?
I hope it builds community in it’s own unique and creative way. We have a large homeless community two blocks away underneath the overpasses of Cesar Chavez. SF General fields the majority of San Francisco’s medical emergencies and during this pandemic it brings even more foot traffic to the neighborhood. Potrero Ave, the street I live on, is the final frontier in the gentrification of The Mission. (In case anyone didn’t know, SF General is now called Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. It recently added new buildings and state of the art equipment. The entire Potrero Avenue was repaved and beautified). My location is a very unique confluence of people and emotion. There’s a lot to see outside my window I can assure you lol. I hope to bring all these people together in a very small but meaningful way. I think we can all appreciate a good book and some art. It’s only been a week at this point, but I love seeing people check out the books inside the little house. I love when a book is taken and then I see it pop back up a couple days later. I’m finally seeing some new books that were added by neighbors. I actually hope that it evolves into our community’s very own information hub. I’ve already added contact information to social services offered in The Mission. I intend to add a little basket for food donations and maybe even a feedback/request box.
What did you get from the experience?
I think I gained a lot of insight into the lives of everyday people. In many ways, I’ve gained insight into the lives of my neighbors. In the few days it’s been up, I’ve seen people from many walks of life, in different states of emotion, stop to see if there’s a book they might enjoy. I’m delighted when I happen to catch someone borrowing a book!
Any tips for someone who would like to make and install one?
Don’t take it too seriously, (unless you really want to). Have fun with it! You don’t necessarily have to build your own lending library, either. You can repurpose many household items, so I’ve recently learned. There are some really cool lending library ideas online. I’ve been loosely talking about making more libraries for friends, so if anyone has any questions I’d be thrilled to offer any advice I might have.
Updates: Here is some context regarding both mine and Fred's delay in the creation of this post, as well as updates on how the Little Free Library box is doing! Written by Fred Acebo, a true ally doing the work. He is an inspiration!
I finished this library project a week before George Floyd’s murder. At that point, I completely switched gears and devoted my energy towards the Black Lives Matter movement. Answering questions for this blog fell by the wayside, and I apologize for the delay. During that time, however, the library evolved and so did my understanding and appreciation for it. From its installation until now: the glass of the door was shattered, the door was then torn off, the Dr. Seuss grass died, I replanted Sweet Potato Vine, the vines were torn out two days later, many people have donated books, and we’ve been making sandwiches for our homeless neighbors and placing them in the library. I also added a wooden Black Lives Matter sign to the post of the library.
I have met more neighbors in the past month than I have in the entire 8 years I’ve been living at this location. My neighbors actively care about the library and my home. I can honestly say this one small act, offering a lending library, has fostered community building in ways I did not imagine. I’ve had some wonderful and engaging conversations lately, the kind that restores my hopes for humanity. Every neighborhood should have a lending library.
A big thank you to Fred Acebo for taking the time to answer my questions and sending me the lovely photos of the Little Free Library box he created and installed. To see his library head on over to Potrero Ave. between 23rd and 24th St. in San Francisco.
You can reach Fred at: @thetunainstituteoflearning on Instagram
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