After COVID-19, so many tiny details of everyday life changed for people around the world: some continued to wear masks on public transport, suddenly aware of the danger of contagion; many now favour working remotely, having done so during lockdown and enjoyed the productivity of being alone. In the case of my area, COVID led to many people clearing out their homes, throwing away old furniture and clothes, but instead of just discarding old books, someone came up with a better idea: converting local nooks into ‘shared libraries’ to find old books a new home. 

 The concept is simple: take a book, leave a book. Book-swapping is not a new concept, nor are libraries, but this iteration is something I’d never seen before. As well as phone booths, post boxes and bird houses have been converted into little free libraries- each is bright and unique, and contains books from many nearby readers, from War and Peace to Daisy Jones & The Six. I’ve rescued many of my favourite books from these libraries, and discovered so many genres that likely I’d never have tried if I spotted the book on the shelf of a shop. 

 The positive impact is undeniable: as well as giving old novels new leases of life, those who might not have access to such a variety of literature now have the opportunity to read widely and voraciously. The unfortunate closure of many public libraries over the last few years has meant that books are harder than ever for some to access, and though these micro libraries won’t solve that problem on their own, they can provide at least a small-scale alternative, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to collate their own book collection.