The Street Library

Two streets down from where I live, a library opened up in the past year – a Street Library. It started with a little poster stuck on a wall, announcing its arrival.  And a few weeks later, a library had been installed.

A Street Library is a book sharing space in the form of a sturdy, waterproof box. It is set up by an individual or group, in a front yard or entrance to a property, and is made available to the public. The one is my area has been donated by a business.

The motto is simple: Take. Give. Share.

I get my reading fix by borrowing a stack of books from the public library. I haven’t borrowed from the Street Library as I would be dependent on finding a book I want to read when I check the box, and then getting desperate if there isn’t a suitable one. But I have seen different books sitting in there when I pass by, so it is being used. There is a variety there: fiction, non-fiction, history, paperbacks , hardcovers, English, non-English.

According to the Street Library:

When people take a book and leave a book, they create a cycle of generosity that allows them to share what they love with those around them.

This blog reminds me in some ways of the Street Library; a cyberspace version. Although Cat3 started out as a seamless transition from its predecessor, it went through some hurdles that derailed the site for a while. Having survived the obstacles, it has come through and now evolved into a different version, with some unique characteristics.

Like the Street Library, anyone who is interested can stop here to Take, Give and Share. It works because of the cycle of sharing – the giving and the taking. You can choose the comments you wish to scroll past, and the ones you want to stop and read. There are links that take you off the main course to read or watch or listen.  In turn, one can give back by responding to other comments, or posting information and links for others to read, learn or enjoy. A sharing process that benefits all.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!, Dr. Seuss

The Open Threads, as well as the threads related to posts, contain a range of comments that vary from the serious to the light-hearted, from the mood-downers to the mood-lifters. There are agreements and occasional disagreements. Debates and discussions. Opinions and verdicts. Rants and spurts of anger at the powers that be. Through it all, there is an underlying courtesy and respect to the site users. This is in keeping with the site policy where all are welcome. All, except d***heads.

Thank you, Adam, for setting up this blog and letting us have this free speech zone.

Thank you to all those who participate in the Take-Give-Share cycle in this Catallaxy Library.