Little Free Libraries on Little Free Film

When writing about using a rescued 100 foot roll of 35mm Kodak Tri-X that had expired in about 1985, I kept thinking about it as my Little Free Film, especially if used in my miniscule Manic Expression Cube. I remembered thinking once during my pandemic summer of Manic Expression that the Little Free Libraries one finds around town would be a good project for the little camera. Going past one recently something clicked and a blog title was born.

Since going to the Praire Avenue Branch of the South Bend Public Library even before I could read, my life has been associated with libraries and of course, books. I've always admired the Little Free Library movement. They're an international organization promoting front yard libraries with free books, selling the little enclosures and providing a web site and mobile app that shows where they are. It was all started right here in the American midwest in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The nearest to our house is just across the street from Merrill Middle and Elementary School. I was curious about what content was available in these but I didn't want to snoop through them. My general impression is that they're full of early readers and young adult novels.

What do you think the stabilizing straps are supposed to do on the side which is leaning over? Looks like there's a wedge in the front of the post so it's probably over corrected from leaning the other way.

A little further west on New York Avenue. In addition to the interesting title, Plague, was the most controversial title I recognized, Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, a challenging read in almost any context.

Some have added decoration such as this faux-window on the side.

The little library at North High School is pretty disorganized and is missing a good chunk of a roof tile. 

It's right next to one of the exits where the madness of drop-off/pick-up occurs on Smith Avenue.

On the no-exit Nicolet Avenue, which ends at Lake Winnebago, with a basket of flowers to enhance the experience.

This was the only one with a separate "Book Donation" box.  The motto of the movement is "Take a book, share a book," but they encourage larger donations as well which they use to supply new libraries.

The Bowen Street Laundromat, a subject for my little camera in the past, has a shelf inside registered with the movement.

Despite the sunny day, that pesky Inverse Square Law made exposures inside quite long. Looking for a place to sit, I was pleased to find this illustration at the end of the shelf.

Hickory Lane is another dead end along the shore of Lake Winnebago, apparently near some cottonwoods, which give a little creepy aspect to this collection,

Keeping these little structures plumb seems to be a common problem.

Riding along Irving Avenue, I encountered one that wasn't registered with the international movement.

It included a bench to peruse the selection with a sign crediting it to the local neighborhood association.

Stevens Park is surrounded by quiet neighborhoods so nobody else knows it's there. The library is sponsored by an individual but it's nice the city let them put it here.

It's a nice shady spot to scan the titles.

One is hosted by an addiction recovery agency on an otherwise residential street.

As I was setting this up, a guy came from the parking lot and said "You're taking a picture with a box." 

I replied "Yes, with a pinhole" 

He said "With a what?" 

I repeated myself and he got a quizzical look on his face and continued into the building.

Across the lawn next to the sidewalk on busy Ninth Avenue, another unregistered example put up by an affluent looking church. It had mostly religious titles but there were a few popular novels,

While I was adjusting the camera, a woman came around from behind me, opened the library, took one of the novels and continued down the street without acknowledging my presence.

Another church, this time registered and attached to the wall.

A bench to sit and read. Just out of the picture to the right, some kind of childrens' event was getting out with continuous traffic of parents picking them up. Nobody stopped for a second to see what I was doing.

This one on the west side is kind of in the middle of the yard. I was hesitant to approach with the tripod and then realized they must expect people to walk out on their lawn to get to it.

The door was slightly open. There's a little planter on the side but it doesn't look like it's been gotten to this spring.

At West High School, another with a door that won't stay closed. I wanted to feature that grafitti tag but the door kept swinging in the slight breeze. The side nearer the hinges doesn't seemed to have moved enough to blur the drawing.

It's out near the street a bit away from the school but where it's again right in the midst of the twice a day child transportation melee.

Another on city property but chartered to an individual teacher in the school district. The collection mostly consisted of several years worth of a youth craft magazine.

It's right in front of Roosevelt Elementary School

A little of the impetus of this project has been a surge in our own book collection, which Sarah has featured for the current tableau on top the piano.

One distinguishing feature of physical printed books is that you can read them perfectly well in the direct sunshine.

The Manic Expression Cube has a .17mm hand-drilled pinhole on an adjustable rising front with 7mm of travel, 24mm from a 24x24mm frame. The venerable Tri-X was semi-stand developed in venerable Rodinal 1:100.

Particularly analytical readers will probably have noticed I still have a  problem with pointing this camera up and the to left of where I want it. Most of these are cropped a bit. That does give them kind of a randomly captured quality. I've adjusted the beads on the moving shutter again, and am going to add some beads to line up at the top instead of just the cardboard triangle and try to find another clever title for the Tri-X.

Happy Father's Day. Go read a book with your kid.