Mini Library

[Dan Kopack]

I currently have begun to build mini-library's for our City. Have built two so far. Looking for ideas, plans, etc. Any thoughts? I have seen many pics online but no detailed plans. I guess that is where our talent so supposed to come in, or not.

[Frederick Skelly]

Dan, can you clarify what you mean by a 'mini library'? Are you talking about a tabletop bookrack, small bookcase or what? Thanks.

[Dave Richards]

Hi Dan,

Generally most of the little free libraries are fairly simple. If you were to find a photo of one you like, I could probably develop plans for it or at least get pretty close. Send me a PM with a picture.

You might also see: Little Free Library Plans.

[Dan Kopack]

Sorry for late response. they are enclosed book cases that are placed around a town or neighborhood. People stop by and take a book and leave one. Many are "stocked" with books people want to give away. I am going to post a pic of one I completed.

[Ted Phillips]

My youngest son and I just got finished constructing two Little Free Libraries for his Eagle Scout project. They were a lot of fun to build. We just built the standard slant roofed box and had a blast doing it. Here are a couple of tips we would offer:

1. Build the box double walled in order to minimize water intrusion. I glued and screwed the basic box together using 1/2 " exterior plywood (using 3/4 for the base). We then liberally coated the interior box with Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) to make it watertight. Then I overlaid exterior T1-11 pre-primed sheathing on the outside using construction adhesive. We didn't use any nails/screws that would penetrate the interior box. Use exterior caulking to seal up all the seams.

2. For the top, you want a decent sized overhang on all four sides of the box so that water runs off and doesn't drip on the door or seams. Put more overhang on the front of the box to shield the door. I built our roof out of a half-inch sheet of exterior plywood that was sealed with CPES and then primed. We glued the roof to the box using construction adhesive so that no screws/nails penetrated the roof.

3. My son pointed out that it is much easier to paint the inside of the box *before* you assemble it. He recommends using a nice bright color such as white to make the box inviting.

4. We mounted our boxes on 4x4 posts that were set in quickcrete. We built a "criss cross" mounting plate out of exterior 2x4 lumber that held the 4x4 post. The mount looked like a "#" sign from the bottom and was built with half-lap joints - you can see it in the third photo. Easy and very secure.

5. I don't show the doors on these photos. We built the doors out of 1x2 exterior lumber using mortise and tenon joints. Then we routed out a 0.25" groove in the inside to accept a quarter-inch thick piece of plexiglass (got it at Home Depot). Cutting the plexi is nasty business - shards of plastic everywhere... After painting the doors, you'll want to use caulking to mount the plexi so that it doesn't leak. We also installed a rubber "D" shaped weather seal around the door so it makes a water-resistant seal to the box when closed. Don't forget a knob and latch!

6. Don't forget to paint and decorate the box! One of ours is going near a fire station so we are going to make it Fire-house themed. Be creative!

Here are some photos.

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