A Conversation with Rick Brooks
The League talks with a co-founder of Little Free Library, LTD about the origins of the idea and how it grew into an international movement.
The Little Free Library movement places small book shelters in neighborhoods and is based on the premise of “take a book, return a book.” Established less than three years ago, Little Free Libraries now sponsors over 5,000 libraries worldwide.
PEN World Voices Festival and The Architectural League of New York partnered to bring Little Free Library to New York City. A jury of Laurie Anderson, Andy Bernheimer, A.M. Homes, Scott Marble, Shannon Mattern, and Peter Mullan selected 10 architecture teams to each design and install a Little Free Library in collaboration with a host community organization. The libraries were installed throughout the East Village and Lower East Side during the 2013 IDEAS CITY Festival, for which the League was a partner organization. Since the official end of the project on September 1, 2013, a number of the community partners have continued to maintain their Little Free Libraries.
Little Free Library/NYC is a joint project of PEN World Voices Festival and The Architectural League of New York, and is realized in collaboration with Little Free Library, LTD.