Finding community
through literature
during physical isolation
Browse the shelves: digitally! Click on any book, and you'll immediately be directed to a digitized version of that text. For a better browsing experience, consider using
this library on your computer rather than your phone.
These books have been crowd-sourced in the spirit of a lending library. Certain historic books may contain racist, sexist, or other discriminatory content [ex. Uncle Tom's Cabin] that might disturb some readers. Please seek support from those around you as needed.
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About the library
As the COVID-19 pandemic shook my community in 2020, I coped with loneliness. I was not alone. TIME described COVID-19 as part of "America's loneliness epidemic," and many people missed their loved ones and community members. One common community hub that I missed was libraries. I continue to miss them, since I haven't been to a library in 7 months as of November 2020.
Before COVID-19, I found community with strangers when I visited libraries. Libraries promote shared space and resources. I remember sitting beside a stranger on a bench as we both read. Glancing over, I could learn from this person based on the book they held in their hands. Did they love classics or contemporary titles? Were they Type A with a list of reading notes and a novelty bookmark, or were they Type B with a receipt marking their place? Sometimes, when I checked out a new book, I'd find a paratext - a piece that someone had left behind. Once, someone left a Polaroid picture in a book as a bookmark. In the picture, two young women hugged each other. One held her fingers in a peace sign. Although I didn't know these women in person, this book connected us. As I read, I wondered why she had marked this particular page. Did she ever finish the book, or did something in the words touch her soul?
When my local libraries were closed, I noticed an increase in engagement with free little libraries. The free little libraries near me were fully stocked, even the ones that usually only hosted a couple of dog-eared James Patterson books.
However, many of my friends outside of my neighborhood did not have a lending library near them. To share the idea with my friends on social media, I created my own virtual library by photoshopping some of my favorite titles, books I'd want to stock if I had a physical little library. Then, I invited my friends to do the same. I've included an image of one of these social media libraries to the right. After we exchanged our own digital lending libraries filled with book suggestions, I began to wonder what a community-sourced, online lending library would look like.
I wanted to understand more about how people were (or were not) using free little libraries during COVID-19. By studying these lending libraries, I sought to understand how people might find socially distant solutions to community by sharing books in digital spaces.
I approached this project with a user experience (UX) lens. I consulted with book lovers in graduate student and librarian Facebook groups, identified some benefits of lending libraries, and brainstormed several pain points that may dissuade readers from using a physical free little library during COVID-19. Then, I conceptualized a digital lending library after crowdsourcing open-access book requests. Read more about this process and my methodology by exploring the other tabs on this website.
Serendipity Lending Library is an open-access, community-built library based on serendipity.