World's smallest library?

 
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faceless
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:40 pm    Post subject: World's smallest library? Reply with quote



The red phone box that has become Britain's smallest library
1st December 2009

Cunning villagers have found a novel way to cope with the shortage of libraries in their area by turning an old red phone box into a book exchange. The former BT phone kiosk has been transformed from a telephone exchange to Britain's smallest library by cunning residents and now stocks around 100 titles.

Villagers rallied together to set up the book box after their mobile library service was cancelled. The parish council purchased the box, a Giles Gilbert Scott K6 design, for £1, and residents in the Somerset village of Westbury-sub-Mendip put up wooden shelves inside and donated their own books. The phone box now houses titles from cooking books to the classics and blockbusters to children's books.

‘It has really taken off,’ Parish councillor Bob Dolby told The Guardian. ‘Turnover is rapid and there's a good range of books, everything from reference books to biographies and blockbusters.’ Meanwhile resident Angela Buchanan was also full of praise for the book box. 'It's such a brilliant idea,' she said. 'Our nearest library is Wells, four miles away, so if you don't want to go into the town but have run out of something to read, it's great you can use this. 'All sorts of interesting books turn up – manuals, picture books, good literary novels.’

The phone box library is open every day for 24 hours and is lit at night. There is a regular check on it to see if some titles are not moving. These are then shipped on to a charity shop to keep the phone box collection fresh. BT has received 770 applications for communities to 'adopt a kiosk' and so far 350 old boxes have been handed to parish councils.

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Cool
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Skylace
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Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a great idea!
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pirtybirdy
'Native New Yorker'


Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: FL USA

PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent!
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SpursFan1902
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Joined: 24 May 2007
Location: Sunshine State

PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a cool idea. Whatever gets people reading!
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faceless
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


A sofa, TV and curtains: The bus stop where it's worth the wait
18th June 2010

We all know how buses take ages to turn up, but if more stops were like this one, the wait would at least be comfortable. The people on the Scottish island of Unst – all 614 of them – take great pride in decorating the stop. It started with a sofa and a table and now has a TV, art and even curtains. The stop, near Baltasound, is now a tourist draw.

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Smile ignoring the Craggy Island possibilities for a cheap gag...
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faceless
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



Biblio-Burro - Columbia


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SpursFan1902
Pitch Queen


Joined: 24 May 2007
Location: Sunshine State

PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have one in Florida that is in a phone box, but the burro is smaller! Anything that makes books available...
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