The lending library crate has been up for three days now at Willoughby General. Barbara and Rae have been taking it inside at night and when it was drizzling. Otherwise, it's wide open for people to see and touch.
Day 1: Crate full of the books I found. Within five minutes of me placing the crate on the bench, a man paused to look through the books. He considered taking one book (Barbara and I were inside the store at the time).
Day 2: Books have already been added! Rae wrote "library" in bold chalk on the sidewalk. She also posted an Instagram photo on behalf of @willoughbygeneral. Likes were numerous and comments were positive. One even inquired: "are y'all going to register it with littlefreelibrary.org? I'm about to build one for my neighborhood because there aren't any close by!"
Night 2: There's demand for the library during off-hours! Books were left outside of the store.
Day 3: A few more books, with a bunch of CDs stored inside Willoughby General because they won't fit in the crate. Barbara joked that "we'll have to change the sign to say you must take a book if you are to give a book!"
This day, Saturday, is also when I debuted the permanent box I constructed. As I was priming it outside, multiple people paused to talk with me. In particular, a bottle collector oohed and awed at the book assortment and was utterly delighted to find The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. She explained to me how much she loves books and that she often listens to books on tapes when she's on her route even though "people probably think I'm listening to rap music." She said that when she swings by this route next Saturday, she'll bring a bunch of books that she has at home.
A gentleman working on his car chatted with me a few times and eventually approached me to see what I was up to. He said he recognizes me and that I often walk across the basketball courts on my way to the train, which is true. He also gave me his business card for backyard and basement removals for my to give to my first floor neighbors.
It's so darn gratifying to see this object working its magic. If not for its physical manifestation and its communal purpose, I'd never be having conversations with these people!
