Page 549 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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their two children started shouting, “It’s hulkie! Hulkie!” and could not wait to see what books were inside.
The Hulk is just one of more than 70 li’l street libraries that are popping up around Canberra. And I can guarantee that the excitement I saw at the Hulk is replicated across Belconnen and beyond. Li’l street libraries are a fantastic, community-driven initiative. All it takes is just one person to create a home for books in a spot that is accessible from the street. These homes are often boxes, lockers or old fridges placed on the front kerb, near local shops or on bike paths. Anyone can borrow or donate a book.
The Lil Street Libraries Facebook page lists all of the mini libraries in the Canberra region and helps share the stories of the people behind them, which I think has encouraged an even greater love of books and more and more people getting on board this great initiative.
There are stories like the creation of the Higgins street library, created in memory of baby girls, Gracie and Tilly. I stopped by earlier this month to donate a few books, and I was charmed by the love and care put into maintaining this little red library in the hedges. “Librarian” Bon Carter and her husband, Steve, who built the library, longed for the day they could bring their little girls home and read them stories. The Higgins street library is not only a touching tribute but a fabulous contribution to the suburb.
Li’l street libraries like this one are building communities and encouraging reading, and they reflect the character and the needs of the local communities that create them. For example, the parents of Spence’s Trenwith Close decided that, with 25 children in their street, they could save some cash by borrowing books from each other. They upcycled an old fridge from the Green Shed, pooled their books and added some chairs and play equipment. Now the Trenwith Close li’l street library is a magnet for families in the neighbourhood.
The Aranda bush library has a different approach again. Next to their fridge, adorned with a hand-painted Astro Boy, is a wheelie bin where you can donate recyclable bottles and cans, under our container deposit scheme, for the purpose of raising money for the Holden rally team charity aiding sick and disadvantaged kids.
Then there is the Bizzy Bee library in Florey, one started by neighbours and friends, Sharon and Rachael, which launched just last month. These two had the idea in early 2018 when setting up Neighbourhood Watch in Florey, when Rachael was suddenly diagnosed with brain cancer. But the idea has never left these friends, and over the past month a retro fridge has been acquired, painted in bright bumblebee colours and installed in Rachael’s front yard.
Yesterday I spoke about the Scullin community group and the street libraries popping up in Scullin as a result. Bor Peeters has, in a matter of weeks, set up two with a specific focus on children, with a plan for a street library trail. That is right: more street libraries in Scullin. He has taken the approach of using drink fridges specifically with clear doors so that kids can see inside and get excited, a trigger to use the library.
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