Books are heavy dude... 😂🚲

And books get wet. Ziploc each book would be possible.
I've seen cargo bikes with plastic tub containers, and if trays were installed there, could open up a collection, in good weather.

Also Bob trailer can carry up to 70 lbs of cargo ( about a box or plastic bin) . some Bob trailers have a drysack included. Bobs can be jackknifed to park upright.
Panniers can handle some load too if you get a sturdy touring type rack.

Pack carefully for weight distribution and stability.

Old Mountain bikes make good haulers/workhorses as heavy duty design, but heavier to start. Locks are heavy too...

Some libraries discard old periodicals, so dumpster diving in or around their recycling bin can be worth it. Also, librarians can be friendly and generally promote reading, might be a good source of more info, if not areas of underserved populations like senior centers.

Kid trailers are two wheels, and more stable, in some instances, but might signify kid lit. Coops sometimes have them cheap, as kids grow out of them and they get too grodey for live passengers. Watch the universal joint, it's $30 us to replace, perhaps more than the trailer, even a used burley ( folds flat and wheels remove for limited storage space and multimodal...

Library book sales to benefit Friends of the localname Library, might be a starting point for a small collection.

Some publishers, say of technical books will donate to clubs, say as a raffle for meetings.

Accepting donations of books to circulate may work.

There used to be these things called bookmobiles, I seem to recall, for those that can't/ won't easily get to a brick and mortar library.

Chess and checkers plus cards pass the time in some parks... As does people watching. Street newspapers exist, in certain cities, and some are creative and literate.

James Harriet's nature/ vet related books were good for me, starting out. Consider other media, audio CD, and DVD formats for accessibility and compactness... Various projects have encyclopedias on computers. Wiki.Laptop.org may have some.

Solar panels can be used to power netbook class machines. Directing the panels to the changing sun position helps, think sundial..

Dynohubs are 6v 3watt which provide some power too, lights or small rechargeables/ USB class (5v 500milliamp to 1 amp i$Device) powered devices.

A card catalog might help, and deliver from home or by request, say tomorrow or next week/month ( a good reading period between book sightings... Otherwise people seem to mistakenly think they own them, even if collecting dust... Member cards are recommended as is some form of collateral/ contact info/ donations, lest the collection dwindle to useless scraps)

Stamps can be purchased to "brand" books say on the sides. Stickers like inside covers and plastic book covers exist, just as we had in school, back in the day. Clear ones exist too. Or make your own with logo.

Bookcrossings.com and GPS caching exist for the adventurous... As does free cycle and estate and yard sales, which may give away late in the event or to a nonprofit umbrella organization.

Working in a discount bookstore is more about stocking and cashiering than talking of great unread books. Books without covers are the returns to publishers that staff sometimes quietly read, saving limited low wage money. Bookseller business associations, say indie, might be a good resource, if they think you are not competition..

Probably messy info, but what possibly relevant I can think of, of the top of my sleepy know it all, or think he does head...

~~~~~~~~~~~
typing impaired by device, so phlat.
NB: BigBro monitors all, dude[tte]....
BackusNaurForm forgotten.
Lied to re: Del msgs. MailHoardersAnon*

On Jul 8, 2014 6:08 PM, <veganboyjosh@gmail.com> wrote:

i've got a friend who's part of a group that is interested in starting a bicycle based library in the Los Angeles area. They're still working out most of the details, but basically imagine a cargo bike or trailer with a bunch of books that rides around and parks and has books available for checkout/free

Is anyone involved in something like this? Or know of projects like this? I know I saw a video of one a long time ago but can't recall where. The bike/library in that video had a taller wooden box with swing-open doors and was primarily a homeless outreach program at the beginning. I would love some links if you know of any.

Would also love to put my friend in touch with someone who's done it before to chat about the process of getting it set up, equipment, costs, etc. The person I know who's involved is a recent (past two years or so) convert to the awesomeness of bikes, so a lot of nuts and bolts (literally and figuratively) of this thing can likely use some experienced guidance.

Thanks!

josh.

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