As Big Libraries Suffer, Micro-Libraries Spring to Life

[Liberal_in_LA]

As Big Libraries Suffer, Micro-Libraries Spring to Life
Small, members-only book lending operations offer the personal touch

Nestled in the corner of Mission antique shop Viracocha, amongst artisan soaps and antique typewriters is something outside of typical thrift fare: a miniature library called Ourshelves.

Just two weeks old, the library is a project spearheaded by Kristina Kearns, a writer and editor who also works as a barista and a door person at a bar. In her spare time, she’s been amassing a carefully curated collection of what she calls “good fiction” and hard-to-find international authors like Scottish poet W.S. Graham.
“I can’t afford books. The economy is changing, the publishing industry is changing, and I wanted to provide this affordable option for people,” Kearns said.

She’s one of a handful of people who have been inspired by the depressed economy to create wallet-friendly ways to read books. Her initiative comes at a time when public libraries are suffering (although San Francisco’s are relatively robust) —in San Jose, volunteers were forced to start an informal lending program when the city failed to provide funds to hire a librarian.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12Urx)