A community book box has been launched in Liverpool giving more people the chance to read for free

A new community book sharing box has been launched in the city offering people the chance to read for free.

The Little Book Stop was set up in front of the Museum of Liverpool last Friday, ready for its official opening on Monday.

Liverpool BID Company and National Museums Liverpool were chosen from hundreds who applied to install one of 90 Little Book Stops across the UK as part of publisher Penguin’s 90^th anniversary – and they’ve been thrilled by the response to the book stop already.

Chloe Gaughan, marketing manager for Liverpool BID Company said:

“We are delighted to see so many people already using the Little Book Stop and liking the idea behind it. It was so popular the first books were cleared off the shelves in only a couple of days.

“The waterfront is the perfect spot for this, with Albert Dock, Pier Head, Mann Island and Princes Dock close by, and it’s great to get more people of Liverpool reading.

“They can come down, grab a book from the Little Book Stop, and pop an already-book in, before having a read and going for a coffee or bite to eat. We’re so lucky to be involved with this and get one near us.”

The 90 Little Book Stops campaign forms part of Penguin’s ongoing 90th birthday celebrations and is being run in partnership with Little Free Library, the US-based non-profit organisation that has overseen the installation of more than 200,000 neighbourhood book exchange boxes globally since 2009. 

The waterfront Little Book Stop is one of 18 across the North West – and one of four more locally with stops in Edge Hill, Birkenhead, and Southport too.

Chloe explains:

“We saw the announcement about the Little Book Stop campaign at the start of summer and you had to apply to Penguin’s website to set one up.

“We were successful which is great, and we chose the waterfront location as we want to encourage more time spent at the waterfront, so it’s a really nice thing to be able to encourage families to come down, read, and enjoy the space and the open air.”

The Little Book Stop itself features a bespoke Penguin design and was installed with an initial curation of children’s and adult books, specially selected to celebrate 90 years of Penguin publishing. 

They included: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Horse by Charlie Mackesey; Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman; Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo; Look Up! by Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola, and The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.  

Each Little Book Stop has a steward appointed to maintain it – in Liverpool’s case Mark Morgans who is the BID’s lead Street Ranger – and they’ll run on a ‘give a book, take a book’ concept and promote community-led book sharing. 

Each book in the waterfront’s Book Stop has also been stickered with a QR code so anyone reading the book can enter their location, and the team can see how far each book travels!

Overall, the initiative is designed to celebrate individuals across the UK who champion reading, support more people to easily access books, and help book lovers to find their next read.

Chloe adds:

“We will keep the book shelves re-stocked and the museum will add lots of lovely books about Liverpool and the history of Liverpool, and of course we are asking people to drop a book off there as well as take one to keep the circle of books going for our community.

“There are so many residents on the waterfront too, and its integral for residents, workers, and tourists to be able to enjoy the Book Stop.

“We’d love to encourage some more book clubs, get people talking about books, and do some story telling events there too.

“It’s all about community.”

The Little Book Stop will be a permanent feature outside the Museum of Liverpool, and warden Mark will keep on top of it to make sure it’s well-maintained and always fully stocked and looked after. However, the team are actively encouraging users to ‘give-a-book, take-a-book’ as a book sharing box.

“It might be the start of more book stops in and around the city,” says Chloe. “We are currently working with Medicash putting more defibrillators in phone boxes, with an additional three in the city centre, along with disco light phone boxes as well. And they would make ideal book stops too.

“Liverpool already has an amazing library in William Brown Street, and the waterfront Book Stop makes a lovely addition.

“To see ours so popular already is lovely.”

Bill Addy from the Liverpool BID Company adds:

“We are so delighted to be hosting a Little Book Stop and it will be such a colourful and popular addition to the city.

“Our famous waterfront is such a beautiful spot to spend some time, to daydream and enjoy the best of Liverpool, so it’s an ideal place for it.

“It’s part of our remit to animate the city centre and we’re confident that a community book sharing project will inspire curiosity and bring people together as they share their favourite books”. 

Liz Stewart, head of Museum of Liverpool, says:

“There are lots of Penguin books which reflect Liverpool’s culture, character and heritage: from the Pevsner architectural guide of 1969; to Paul du Noyer’s ‘Wondrous Place’ which – like our Wondrous Place gallery – explores Liverpool’s music heritage; to Liverpool fiction such as Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister.

“We’re delighted to be hosting a Penguin Little Book Stop outside the Museum of Liverpool and give local communities the opportunity to share books and the joy of reading.”

Find out more on the Museum of Liverpool website.

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