Peruse the waterproofed selections at Minnesota’s Floating Library, renew your library card at a bus stop in Bogota, or select a volume from the shelves mounted to a tank-shaped ‘Weapon of Mass Instruction.’ These 12 traveling libraries and pop-up book stands bring the love of reading to the city streets, and even to the most remote corners of Mongolia via camel.
Weapons of Mass Instruction Tank Library
Artist Raul Lemesoff was commissioned by 7UP to create ‘Weapons of Mass Instruction,’ a 1979 Ford Falcon transformed into a tank-shaped library, for World Book Day 2015. The vehicle features a rotating upper chamber, a faux cannon and room to store nearly 900 books in various compartments along the exterior. The library travels throughout Argentina, both urban and rural, to bring free books to anyone who wants them.
Mobile Beach Library in France
French architecture firm Matali Crasset brought more than 300 titles to becah goers in the seaside town of D’Istres via a pop-up library made of steel and tarps. The tent-like structure includes three shaded reading alcoves.
Bus Station Library
This urban book stand in Bogota, Colombia is part of the Paradero Para Libros Para Parques (PPP) program, created to promote literacy across the country. There are currently 47 of these bus stop libraries across Bogota, with many more located in other cities. A volunteer staffs each one for about 12 hours per week.
Pedal-Powered Mobile Library
The Denver Public Library literally brought its services to the streets in the form of DPL Connect, a pedal-powered mobile library and wi-fi hotspot that can travel to parks, concerts, farmer’s markets, coffee shops and anywhere else people gather. It’s stocked with a rotating collection of books tailored to the bike’s location, and the librarian pedaling the cart can provide traditional library services like help with digital downloads and reading suggestions.
