Anonymous Patron sends “this story from the Christian Science Montior about the growing phenomenon of placing mini libraries in malls. This is about one such library in the Seattle-area King County Library System.
And Bob Cox sends us this one about an informal lending library that’s been paired with a hair salon in Columbia, Tennessee. Salon owner Ginger Bryant, a voracious reader, whose clientele prefers book chat over gossip, set up an informal lending library when she relocated to a larger space.
‘It’s so much better to talk about literature than to talk about people or gossip,’ said Bea Curry, a retired Columbia State literature and English teacher. ‘And Ginger also keeps up with cultural events, and that keeps us stimulated.’
More from The Tennessean.
“
Nothing new here
Not a new trend in Southern Ontario. The central branch of the Hamilton Public Library was built to connect to the downtown shopping centre about 20 years ago. About 2 years ago, the new central branch of the London Public Library in London, Ontario, opened in the downtown shopping centre, taking over the (now bankrupt) Eaton’s.
I’ve also seen several smaller branches in Ontario systems placed in shopping plazas and strip malls.