免费小说屋：知识共享的感觉，真妙！

张晓敏

When Todd Bol placed a homemade wooden box on a pole in his front yard in Hudson， Wisconsin， in 2009， he had no idea it would launch a movement.

Decorated to resemble a one-room schoolhouse， it contained a dozen or more books free for the taking. The box was a tribute1） to Bol's mother， a former teacher and book lover who had died several years earlier.

The small library literally stopped traffic. "Everyone loved it！ They stopped to look at it and said， 'This is so cute； this is such a neat2） idea，' " recalls Rick Brooks， a friend of Bol's.

Brooks knew the feeling. He loved the library the moment he heard about it. An instructor specializing in youth and community development at the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies， Brooks recognized the potential of the little house of books to promote literacy3） and to build community. He had previously raised funds for village libraries in Sri Lanka and several other countries. Given his enthusiasm about neighborhood projects both professional and personal， Brooks jumped at the chance to put his passion into action.

"I'm always looking for manageable projects that connect people on a personal level to where they live，" says Brooks. "What's better than books？"

Bol and Brooks joined forces to build several more of the eye-catching boxes. Calling their project the Little Free Library， they placed their first one beside a bike path behind Absolutely Art Gallery and Café Zoma on Madison's east side. The spot proved ideal for spreading the word.

"Thousands of people saw it as they passed by，" says Brooks.

People not only saw it. They wanted one of their own.

With a roof and windows and doors， Little Free Libraries look like dollhouses for books. The concept is simple： take a book， leave a book. There are no due dates4）， late fees， or library cards required， and the doors are open every day of the week， twenty-four hours a day.

While some coffee shops and stores have offered book-exchange shelves for years， there's something about the books inside a creative and self-contained5） box that inspires a completely different feeling of devotion among users.

"People support what they help to create，" says Brooks. "People have to want a library—and as soon as it comes and people bring their books， it's theirs and they love it."

At a time when digital technology is changing the way people find and consume words， it's surprising how many people have fallen in love with such a low-tech， old-fashioned system of book circulation. As proof， you need only look at how quickly and in how many places these Little Free Libraries have found homes.6）

Lisa Lopez's two Little Free Libraries at Zavala Elementary School in El Paso， Texas， have been a hit7）. One sits outside on a post in the playground， while the other travels from classroom to classroom each month. "It's like a prize for them to get the library in their classroom， so the kids are really enthusiastic and excited，" she says. "[It's] been a blessing， to say the least8）."

The boxes are always full， and Lopez has been gratified to see kids bringing and sharing favorites such as the ever-popular Harry Potter books， rather than just the volumes they don't like.

Many people prefer to design and build their own book depots9）， though. Some look like barns， houses， a classic red London phone booth10）， and even a canoe. They are made from cranberry crates11）， old newsstand12） boxes， and microwaves. In short， there are no rules. Anything goes， as long as it holds books. The variety of styles is a big part of the project's appeal and makes the libraries local tourist attractions.

What's inside the libraries is a persistent question. Some specialize in children's books or subjects such as gardening. Most are free-form13）， though， attracting an eclectic14） mix of titles15） that can change completely from day to day. "Take a book； return a book" may be the program's motto， but users should be advised to take their selections when they can， because their choice of books may not be there tomorrow.

The libraries are mapped on Google so users can find them easily. Some owners have set up Facebook pages and blogs to promote their little libraries and to connect to other "librarians16）". The bond of library ownership is so great that some of them even plan their vacations so that they can visit all the other Little Free Libraries en route17） to their destinations.

The strong sense of connection that has formed around the charming structures has both surprised and delighted Brooks.

"We suspected—and hoped—that community would form in caring for these libraries， but we had no idea that the visual and emotional appeal of a little box of books would be as strong as it is，" explains Brooks. "It's what you hope for， but can never predict."

The idea of books in a box isn't new. More than a century ago， Wisconsin's Lutie Stearns18） took thousands of volumes to isolated Wisconsin communities. Although many cities had libraries by the end of the 19th century， most farm families had little， if any， access to books. To solve the problem， the Wisconsin Free Library Commission， led by Stearns， decided to take the written word to rural areas. By the time Stearns left the commission in 1914， she'd established 1，400 traveling libraries—actually just boxes of reading matter—that she often delivered herself， traveling first by horse and buggy19）， and later by automobile.

Brooks calls Stearns his hero， and a portion of the Little Free Library website is dedicated20） to her story. Stearns's mission to take books to underserved21） areas has remained a remarkably potent22） factor in the spread of Little Free Libraries. Brooks has been gratified， if a little overwhelmed， by the response to this simple concept.

2009年，當托德·博尔把一个自制的木箱放在位于威斯康星州哈得孙市自家前院的一根柱子上时，他没有料到这个箱子将会引发一场运动。

这个箱子装饰得像一个单间校舍一样，里面放着十来本或者更多的书供人免费取阅。博尔制作这个箱子是为了悼念几年前去世的母亲，她生前是一位热爱读书的教师。

这个小小的书屋真的让过往的车辆和行人都停下了脚步。“大家都很喜欢它！他们停下来打量它，说：‘这个箱子好可爱；这主意太妙了。”博尔的朋友里克·布鲁克斯回忆道。

布鲁克斯知道那是怎样一种感觉，他一听说这个小书屋就十分喜欢它。布鲁克斯就职于威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校继续教育部，是专门研究青少年及社区发展的一名讲师，他意识到了这个小小的书屋在提高居民文化水平及构建社区方面的潜力。他以前就曾为斯里兰卡和其他一些国家的乡村图书馆筹集过资金。鉴于自己无论是从专业还是个人层面对社区项目的热忱，布鲁克斯迫不及待地抓住了这个机会，好把自己的热情付诸行动。

“我一直在找让人们在个人层面上与其居住地连接起来的那种易于管理的项目，”布鲁克斯说，“还有什么能比书更合适呢？”

博尔和布鲁克斯合力又建造了几个这种引人注目的箱子。他们为这一项目取名为“免费小书屋”，把第一个小书屋安置在了位于麦迪逊市东边的绝对画廊和佐马咖啡馆后面的自行车道旁。事实证明，这个地点非常适合书屋的推广。

“成千上万的人路过时都看到了它。”布鲁克斯说。

人们不光看到了，他们还想拥有一个自己的小书屋。

免费小书屋有屋顶、窗户还有门，看起来就像是个为书打造的玩具小屋。其理念很简单：拿走一本，留下一本。这里没有应还日期、滞纳金，也不需要阅览证，小屋的门一周七天、一天24小时都是开着的。

虽然一些咖啡店和商店几年前就已经设置了供人们自由留取书籍的书架，但书放在一个富有创意、独立的箱子里，这样做却有几分不同，会让使用者产生一种完全不同的投入感。

“人们支持那些自己参与创造的东西，”布鲁克斯说，“人们肯定都会想要一个书屋，等书屋一建好，大家就会把自己的书带来放进去，然后这个书屋就成了他们的，让他们十分喜欢。”

在这样一个数字技术正改变人们找书和买书方式的时代，有这么多人都爱上了这种没什么科技含量的、过时的书籍流通方式，真令人感到意外。只需看看这些免费小书屋多么迅速地在多少地方安家落户，你就能找到证据。

莉萨·洛佩斯在得克萨斯州埃尔帕索市扎瓦拉小学的两个免费小书屋就一直非常受欢迎。一个书屋安放在操场上的一根柱子上，另一个则每个月从一个教室传到另一个教室。“让书屋来自己的教室，这对孩子们来说就像是一种奖励，所以他们都特别感兴趣，非常兴奋，”她说，“至少可以说，（书屋）是个给人带来幸福的东西。”

书屋总是满满的。看到孩子们带来他们最喜欢的书（比如一直受欢迎的《哈利·波特》系列）分享，而不只是那些他们自己不爱看的书，洛佩斯一直感到十分欣慰。

不过，许多人更喜欢设计、建造自己的书屋。有的造型像谷仓、房子、经典的伦敦红色电话亭，甚至还有的像独木舟。这些书屋有用装蔓越莓的板条箱做的，有用旧的报刊亭箱做的，还有用微波炉改造而成的。总之就是没什么规定，只要能把书放进去，用什么都行。风格的多种多样正是这个项目的一大魅力，也使得小书屋成了当地的景观。

书屋里放的是什么书是一个永恒的问题。有些书屋专门放童书，或是某一特定主题（如园艺）的书。不过，大部分都是自由发挥的，吸引了不同种类、各式各样的书入驻，这些书每一天可能都完全不一样。虽然这个项目的口号是“拿走一本，归还一本”，不过还是建议使用者及时拿走自己选好的书，因为这些书可能明天就不在那里了。

这些书屋都在谷歌地图上标示出来了，因此使用者很容易就能找到它们。一些书屋的主人还在Facebook上创建了主页、开通了博客来宣传自己的书屋并与其他“书屋管理员”建立联系。书屋主人对拥有书屋有着很深的情结，以至于他们当中的一些人甚至会规划好自己的假期，好让自己在去往旅行目的地的途中可以一访沿途其他所有的免费小书屋。

人们围绕着这些可爱的小书屋形成了如此紧密的联系，这让布鲁克斯十分惊喜。

“此前我们猜想（也希望）维护这些书屋的过程会催生一个社群，但却没有料到一个装书的小箱子竟然可以有这么强的视觉和情感吸引力，”布鲁克斯解释说，“这是你所希望的，但却是你永远不能预料的。”

箱式的书屋并不是什么新鲜事物。一个多世纪以前，威斯康星州的卢蒂·斯特恩斯曾把数千册书带到该州较为偏远的一个个社区。虽然许多城市在19世纪末就已经有了图书馆，但大多数农村家庭还是几乎无法接触到书，即使有也可以忽略不计。为了解决这个问题，当时斯特恩斯领导下的威斯康星州免费图书馆委员会决定把书本带到乡村地区去。到1914年斯特恩斯离开该委员会时，她已经建起了1400个移动书屋——实际上就是装着阅读材料的一个个箱子。她常常会自己送书过去，一开始是骑马和坐马车去，后来就乘汽车了。

布鲁克斯把斯特恩斯称为自己的英雄，免费小书屋的网站有一部分就专门讲述了她的故事。斯特恩斯想把书送到那些服务不到位的地区，这一使命一直是免费小书屋得以传播开来的强有力因素。人们对这一简单理念的回应已经让布鲁克斯感到很欣慰，虽然他还有点不知所措。