So my lovely friend Steph sent me a link to an article about an art/community installation in New York, repurposing phone booths into mini community libraries. While I initially was very intrigued and excited about the idea, I started to have my reservations as I thought about it more, which were only repeated in some of the comments on the project, but it's still a noble idea and something worth reading about:
John Locke's Repurposed Phone Booth Libraries
But here's where the UK comes in. I'm scanning through the comments on the article and someone attaches a similar article from the same site (Designboom) with the UK equivalent: James Econ's Phoneboox.
Why do I find this so important? Just the fact that artists and communities are even thinking about libraries shows their relevance. While these ideas may not always pan out as they do in a librarian's dreams, becoming trash receptacles rather than knowledge repositories or other various pitfalls of their designs, the fact that there are artists who understand the importance of reading, communities that try to contribute, programs that support such endeavors, proves that the library still has a place in our society. While these plans are not always realistic, they will always hold a special place in my heart.
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