This one is less of a personal essay, a more of a letter of gratitude to the free library ecosystem in Vancouver.

I live in a neighbourhood with many Tiny Free Libraries that are essentially outdoor house-shaped cupboards where people share things with each other. Over the past 7 years living in this neighbourhood these libraries have brought me a lot of joy and comfort.

Getting out of the house and going on neighbourhood walks is a necessity for me. With Bucky I would go out 3 times a day, and even now I go out at least once daily. It’s a great way to reset my brain, to transition out an intense work day, to reconnect with my body. Walking is as grounding for me as meditation is for some. Walking in the same streets over and over again for the past seven years can occasionally get boring, so during a winter a couple of years ago I decided to start mapping out the free tiny libraries in my neighbourhood. Browsing familiar tiny libraries and discovering new ones is an analog feed refresh and gives me a hit of dopamine that serves as motivation to get out the door.

During my walks I’ve mapped out:

• 3 pet pantries,

• 3 food pantries,

• 2 period pantries,

• 3 fiber libraries,

• 1 seed library,

• 1 puzzle library,

• 4 art libraries,

• 1 bike repair tool library,

• And an astounding 52 book libraries.

Keep in mind that I have not mapped out the whole city, just the area in a one-hour radius around my apartment. I have been thorough in my investigation without implementing a grid search1 and still discover a new-to-me libraries every few weeks. In the rest of the city, I’ve made a note of an additional 17 libraries, which I assume only scratches the surface. What we can conclude is, there are plenty of ways to read for free around here if one is not looking for a specific book.

I love browsing the libraries, looking at what’s new, what been lingering for months. I tidy, add a book or take one. My appetite is larger than my reading capacity, especially when you account for the fact that public library books comes with a deadline and a higher priority in my mind. Sometimes I will take a book and read it. Occasionally I will take a book I already love and delight in seeing it on my bookshelf. Most often books come live with me for a few months, until I admit to myself I’ll never read them and release them back in the ecosystem. Twice I picked a book in poor shape and used it in an art-making project like blackout poetry or collages2.

In terms of non-book libraries, I’ve contributed to the food, pet and period pantries; I’ve used the puzzle and seed libraries; but my main interest today is in the art library.

I love to see what people make. Around my home there are a few art-library pieces that give me warm fuzzies when I see them, made by people I will never meet. I once saw an vintage postcard of Angers -the city in France where I studied-, giving me an unexpected taste of home. People will share art-making material; I made use of a zine tutorial, a collage kit and a rainbow scratch sheet.

I’ve also contributed to art libraries. At first it came with a lot more trepidation than giving away books. If something I share lingers for a few days, I have more feelings about it than when one of my books is of no interest to people3.

Sharing comes from a desire to contribute to an initiative that brings me much joy. At first part of me was also seeking reassurance that what I created was not as awful as I thought it was. A stranger taking something I made felt more objective than a friend telling me they liked something I created. My friend could just be saying this to be nice, or as a general appreciation that I was creating something, an encouragement to keep creating4.

Recently when I started making zentangle botanical prints, I shared some in art libraries. These are the first little things I shared that didn’t feel like a disappointing offer. It’s always nice of course when I walk by the art library and see the piece I shared the previous day is gone, but what others might think has lost some of its power5. The process is so satisfying and the results make my brain happy. The need for someone else to like it has quieted significantly, because *I* like what I shared.

Beyond the direct use of each library/pantry, this ecosystem of free exchanges is a relief in this capitalist world where everything else seems to require money. It makes me feel connected to the web of people who live around me, even if I never interact with most of them.