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Street Books

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Street Books
LocationPortland, Oregon, United States
TypeMobile library
Established2011
Other information
Websitestreetbooks.org

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]

History

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b Mok, Kimberley (August 19, 2011). "Bike-Powered Mobile Library Brings Books To Portland's Homeless". TreeHugger. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c Swartz, Anna (August 15, 2016). "This "Street Librarian" Is Helping Homeless People Through Literature". Mic. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e Koffman, Rebecca (September 16, 2014). "Street Books, Portland's bike-powered library for homeless people, celebrates success". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Stepney, Chloe (August 10, 2011). "Laura Moulton brings books to the homeless – by bike". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d Hallett, Alison (June 30, 2011). "Meet Portland's "Street Librarian"". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  10. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d Acker, Lizzy (July 14, 2016). "Portland teacher brings books to the homeless by bike". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b "'Street Books' bringing mobile library to homeless people in Portland". KPTV. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
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