Street Books

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
CountryUnited States
TypeMobile library
Established2011
LocationPortland, Oregon
Websitestreetbooks.org

History

Conceived 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

Street 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]

References
  1. Mok, Kimberley (August 19, 2011). "Bike-Powered Mobile Library Brings Books To Portland's Homeless". TreeHugger. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. Johnson, Kirk (October 9, 2014). "Homeless Outreach in Volumes: Books by Bike for 'Outside' People in Oregon". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. Fox, Sandi (January 28, 2015). "From nurses to social workers, see how public libraries are serving the homeless". PBS. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  4. Swartz, Anna (August 15, 2016). "This "Street Librarian" Is Helping Homeless People Through Literature". Mic. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. Koffman, Rebecca (September 16, 2014). "Street Books, Portland's bike-powered library for homeless people, celebrates success". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  6. Stepney, Chloe (August 10, 2011). "Laura Moulton brings books to the homeless – by bike". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. Koffman, Rebecca (July 1, 2011). "Bicycle-powered cart gives Portland's homeless a chance to check out a good book". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  8. Moulton, Laura (September 25, 2014). "Street Books: What I learned from Ben". Street Roots. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  9. Hallett, Alison (June 30, 2011). "Meet Portland's "Street Librarian"". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  10. Hoff, Jennifer (December 24, 2014). "Street Books peddles and pedals to homeless". KOIN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  11. Smith, Emily E. (June 18, 2016). "With more people living outdoors, Portland's mobile library, Street Books, grows". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  12. Acker, Lizzy (July 14, 2016). "Portland teacher brings books to the homeless by bike". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  13. "What We Do". Street Books. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  14. Richmond, Holly (August 13, 2013). "Tiny bike-based libraries pedal books to streets and parks". Grist. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  15. "Street Books: This Library on Wheels Brings Great Reads to People Living Outside". HuffPost. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  16. "'Street Books' bringing mobile library to homeless people in Portland". KPTV. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
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