Street Books is a mobile library utilizing customized tricycles that serves homeless people in Portland, Oregon.[1][2][3] It also serves low-income residents of the community,[4] including those who are day laborers and immigrants.[5] It was founded in June 2011 by Laura Moulton, an artist, writer, and writing teacher from Portland.[1][2][6]
| Street Books | |
|---|---|
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Type | Mobile library |
| Established | 2011 |
| Other information | |
| Website | streetbooks |
History
editConceived as a time-bound art project, Street Books was initially funded with a $4,963, three-month "social practice" grant from Portland's Regional Arts & Culture Council.[5][6][7] According to Moulton, the initial idea underlying the project was "that books and conversation about books, could be enriching and enlightening, and could transform time, especially for people living outside".[8] Its mission is twofold: to "empower people on the streets through access to literature" and to "create a community of support for people living outside, through a shared love of books".[4]
In 2011, Moulton began Street Books by taking 40–50 books to the Skidmore Fountain on Wednesdays and the South Park Blocks on Saturdays.[6][7][9] Other locations ultimately frequented by the mobile library include Bud Clark Commons, the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp, St. Francis Park, and the Willamette River waterfront.[2][5][10] By 2014, Street Books had become a registered nonprofit organization with a board of directors, hosted its first fundraising event, and counted three salaried "street librarians" (including Moulton) in addition to regular volunteers.[2][5] According to Moulton, Street Books "wasn't a service that could be suspended because an art project had come to an end".[5] By June 2016, it employed six paid librarians and utilized two tricycles.[11] Additional sources of funding for the mobile library have included a 2011 Kickstarter campaign, a $1,000 grant from the Awesome Foundation in 2014, and a grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust.[2][12]
Operation
editStreet Books uses library cards and traditional library pockets to keep track of its books, although it does not set or enforce due dates; patrons simply return the books at their leisure.[6][13] According to Moulton, "people living outside might have bigger things to worry about than returning their books to the street library".[9] Nevertheless, patrons do regularly return the books they check out.[9] Additionally, patrons do not need to provide any form of identification or an address to loan books; all that is required to obtain a Street Books library card is to give one's name.[4][7][13] In contrast, patrons of Portland's Multnomah County Library need to provide an address in order to acquire a library card.[7][14]
Street Books serves the community from June to October of each year.[12] By 2016, it had served more than 5,000 patrons.[15] Moulton also invites patrons to be photographed with the books they check out, and then posts these images on a blog that documents the mobile library since its foundation.[6][13]
Street Books curates and provides access to a diverse collection of books that span a wide range of genres. In August 2011, Moulton noted that Western fiction and the works of countercultural authors like Jack Kerouac and Ken Kesey were especially popular.[6] In July 2016, fellow street librarian Diana Rempe observed that escapist and spiritual literature were also popular among patrons.[16] Another strength of the collection is its coverage of regional authors, including Jim Lynch, Benjamin Parzybok, and Kevin Sampsell.[9] The collection, which Moulton organizes during the winter, consists largely of paperback books donated by community members.[10][12][16] Street Books will occasionally buy used books that are specifically requested by patrons, often from Powell's Books.[11][12]