How do you use the GVPN’s Little Free Library Map? What’s your favourite LFL Map story?
We’re thrilled to celebrate a major milestone for the Pocket Places Project – our little free library map has officially had its 500,000th visitor! This achievement is a testament to the growing popularity and importance of little free libraries across our regions, which have become vibrant hubs of community.
For those who may not be familiar, little free libraries are little public book boxes that operate on the “leave a book, take a book” principle. These small, often beautifully designed book-sharing stations come in all shapes and sizes. While most offer a diverse selection of books, many LFLs specialize in particular genres – poetry, children’s books, or even French literature. And LFLs are not just about books anymore! A growing number share plants, seeds, toys, puzzles, board games, art supplies, yarn, food, and household items.
The Greater Victoria Placemaking Network (GVPN) runs the Pocket Places Project, which helps promote, map, stock, and build LFLs across the region. To date, this project has helped set up over 135 LFLs and distributed more than 100,000 books.
Over the years, the Pocket Places Project LFL map has grown and evolved, along with our region’s network of LFLs, and it is constantly being updated by the volunteer lead of the Pocket Places Project, Teale Phelps Bondaroff. It now identifies 878 LFLs for books (marked by blue dots), 28 LFLs that share plants and seeds (marked by green dots), and 23 that share board games and puzzles (marked by pink dots). Yellow dots indicate a suspected LFL, that is, a LFL whose location has yet to be confirmed, and purple dots indicate LFLs for which we do not have a photograph.
Each LFL has a name and most have photos, and emoji next to names indicate other things a LFL might share. For example, a little yarn emoji indicates a LFL that shares yarn, while a pallet emoji indicates a little art gallery or art supplies box. Observant visitors might also find an Easter egg or two hidden in the map.
Mapping plays a powerful role in amplifying the impact of LFLs. Not only does the Pocket Places Project map help people locate LFLs in their neighbourhoods, it:
· Facilitates the restocking of LFLs – in dry weather, the Pocket Places Project delivers around ~200 books to LFLs around the region.
· Inspires folks to help fill in gaps, and perhaps build and install an LFL of their own.
· Motivates adventurous urbanists to hunt down ‘wild’ LFL, helping us identify and map new book boxes.
· Helps people play LFL Bingo!
· Encourages people to get out and explore hidden corners of their community.
· Allows us to track project progress and celebrate milestones.
· And so much more!
The number of visitors to the map now exceeded the number of people who live in the region! We doubt that EVERYONE in the region has used the map, visitors and tourists certainly must also pop over from time to time, and there are definitely some repeat customers, but it is still a little mind boggling that our humble LFL map has had half a million visitors. The popularity of the map is part of the success of the Pocket Places Project, and serves as a testament to the power of how mapping and data visualization can help inspire placemaking.
Here’s to the next 500,000 visitors and the continued flourishing of our region’s LFL network.
We’d love to know:
How do you use the GVPN’s Little Free Library Map?
What’s your favourite LFL Map story?
Share your answers with us at: victoriaplacemaking.ca/little-free-libraries
Guest Author Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff
Visit Teale’s Blog / Website: https://www.teale.ca/
