New Ideas CityHello Museum

Little Free Libraries/New York

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Little Free Libraries, 2013

The PEN World Voices Festival and The Architectural League of New York are partnering to rethink the design of Little Free Libraries as architectural and community-building opportunities for cities. The Little Free Libraries movement places small-scale book shelters in neighborhoods, and is based on the premise “take a book, leave a book.”

In keeping with this year’s IDEAS CITY theme of Untapped Capital, the libraries will facilitate an informal exchange of books in the city’s public spaces, where local residents and visitors may use and contribute to these communal, nonmarket–based resources. PEN and the Architectural League will pair ten design teams with local community partners who will host Little Free Libraries in the Lower East Side and East Village (as well as with Friends of the High Line). Installed during the day on May 4, 2013, as part of the IDEAS CITY festival, these libraries will inspire similar architectural efforts throughout the city by open-sourcing their designs online.

For more information on the project, please visit archleague.org.

Check out the Little Free Libraries teaser feature and walking tour.