With its Pocket Places Project poised to place its 100,000th book in a local little free library, the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network is launching a competition to determine what title should earn the honour.
The project led by GVPL volunteer Teale Phelps Bondaroff, helps promote, map, build, and stock little free libraries (LFL) across Greater Victoria area. A volunteer with the GVPN, he works to celebrate milestones, coordinate book donations and pickups, and regularly cycles the region with a trailer full of books to top up the book boxes. To date, the project has delivered almost 100,000 books across the CRD, mapped out 845 of the little libraries and help build or set up more than 120 of them.
“I still remember how excited I was when I dropped off the 5,000th book in 2018 – a vintage travel guide to Victoria. If you would have told me then that I’d be delivering our 100,000th book to a little free library six years later, I would not have believed you,” Phelps Bondaroff said in a news release.
Little free libraries operate on the principle of ‘leave a book – take a book’ and come in all shapes and sizes. A growing number also specialize in a certain type of book such as poetry, children’s books, French reads, as well as those sharing plants, seeds, toys, household items, board games, puzzles, art supplies, art, food, and more.
"The magic of little free libraries is that they function as a sort of catalyst, igniting other forms of placemaking that foster connections,” GVPN volunteer Molly Rose said. “One LFL near my apartment now has a chalk board and bench beside it. I've seen others with fairy gardens or toys for kids at their base. They start as LFLs, but it's hard to stop there once people see how frequently they are visited.”
In a bid to place the right title for its 100,000th book, the placemaking network is opening up suggestions online at victoriaplacemaking.ca.
“Selecting the books for some of our milestones has been relatively easy. For example, Jules Verns’ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas was an obvious choice for our 20,000th book, and I found a copy of a book about Warhammer 40K for our 40,000th book. For other milestones we’ve celebrated and showcased local authors,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “We wanted to do something extra special for our 100,000th book and I can’t wait to see people’s suggestions.”
The winning book will be announced July 20 during a special event where the 100,000th book will be officially placed in a little free library.
Find the full map of all 845 libraries (or submit new ones) online at victoriaplacemaking.ca/little-free-libraries.