I have an anxious feeling about trying to leverage little free libraries for proselytizing (which doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but I notice I stopped being interested in Little Free Libraries the more it became clear that the two types of books there are mostly “old books nobody actually liked that much” and “books someone is trying to proselytize”)
That’s a very reasonable concern and something I am a bit worried about. As an ex-Christian, I’m especially sensitive to those libraries getting loaded up with Christian works intending to convert, and can see how this could be similar.
I’m thinking as long as I don’t put more than one book in each library, and make sure the library isn’t filled with primarily children’s books (ie stay on topic with the particular library), I should be ok.
A thing I would track is “people who walk past multiple libraries don’t develop a feeling of ‘ugh, those IABIED books again’”. (Given that I also think the upside of the book being in the little free libraries is fairly low). So, like, I’d do more like “1 per ~7 libraries” or something, spaced out more.
I do suspect there are higher payoff things to do (hosting a reading group, or inviting 1-2 friends to read it with you, or contacting a local library and getting it in stock there and maybe trying to hold some kind of event about it at the library)
I have an anxious feeling about trying to leverage little free libraries for proselytizing (which doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but I notice I stopped being interested in Little Free Libraries the more it became clear that the two types of books there are mostly “old books nobody actually liked that much” and “books someone is trying to proselytize”)
That’s a very reasonable concern and something I am a bit worried about. As an ex-Christian, I’m especially sensitive to those libraries getting loaded up with Christian works intending to convert, and can see how this could be similar.
I’m thinking as long as I don’t put more than one book in each library, and make sure the library isn’t filled with primarily children’s books (ie stay on topic with the particular library), I should be ok.
A thing I would track is “people who walk past multiple libraries don’t develop a feeling of ‘ugh, those IABIED books again’”. (Given that I also think the upside of the book being in the little free libraries is fairly low). So, like, I’d do more like “1 per ~7 libraries” or something, spaced out more.
I do suspect there are higher payoff things to do (hosting a reading group, or inviting 1-2 friends to read it with you, or contacting a local library and getting it in stock there and maybe trying to hold some kind of event about it at the library)