The man who turned his home into a public library

[demmiblue]

Source: BBC

If you put all the books you own on the street outside your house, you might expect them to disappear in a trice. But one man in Manila tried it - and found that his collection grew.

Hernando Guanlao is a sprightly man in his early 60s, with one abiding passion - books.

They're his pride and joy, which is just as well because, whether he likes it or not, they seem to be taking over his house.

Guanlao, known by his nickname Nanie, has set up an informal library outside his home in central Manila, to encourage his local community to share his joy of reading.

The idea is simple. Readers can take as many books as they want, for as long as they want - even permanently. As Guanlao says: "The only rule is that there are no rules."

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19547365

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Cool story! n/t

[leveymg]

2. This might be the basis for an entire economy. "Take what you need and leave the rest."

Sharing - what a concept!

Wealth is hoarding - it destroys the ability of the community of exchange to sustain itself. The rich are nothing but hoarders.

[htuttle]

5. There's a site for that

http://www.freecycle.org/

[leveymg]

7. Thanks! - Perennials and potting soil need a good home! I'll join.

Let's see, we have a bunch of stuff in the basement . . .

[efhmc]

15. Belong to it in a small town. Great idea.

[abumbyanyothername]

26. I got my lawnmower from

freecycle. And my sleeping bag.

[madokie]

8. My brother in law sells tomato's each year

he clones his 200 plus plants so he doesn't have to worry with different varieties needing different care and all his tomato's taste the same year in year out. He spent several years developing his strain. Anyways, he sells them on the honor system. No cameras and most time no one there except containers of tomato's, scales and a jar to put the money in. I asked him if he ever felt he lost anything, people ripping him off, he answered that if anything there has been more money in the jar than tomato's in the containers. Which adds credence to what I think and that is most people are honest with you if you will be honest with them and not question their honesty. We're proud people and thats good. Only a small percent of our fellow Americans are cons and ripoff artist. I truly believe that. Some times he'll have some of his tools laying first one place or the other wherever he was using them and out where people could pick them up if they wanted to, but thats never happened either.

A good man who lives his life as his Bible dictates except he is not homophobic, a bigot, xenophobic, Misogynist and he is a man who lives his life treating others as he wants to be treated.

After taxes he'll clear from 3500 dollars a summer to 6000 dollars, depending on the weather etc.

After 40 years of marriage our family all still love him

Sorry for getting carried away but yes honesty and respect opens lots of doors, brings lots of happiness and lots of respect back your way. I'm flummoxed as to why every one doesn't strive to be that way.

[leveymg]

9. There's a man who sells tomatoes from a table the same way infront of his house nearby

Also uses a cash cup and the honor system. Great tastin' tomat'rs!

I'll forgive him his Romney yard sign.

[TlalocW]

13. It depends on the crop and the time of year :)

My dad did the same with tomatoes. We lived on almost an acre of property on the edge of town, and our garden was bigger than most people's backyards, and he pretty much just planted tomatoes. We ate what we could, gave to friends and family, and sold the rest at a little table on the side of the driveway. Wonderful honesty displayed by everyone. Tomatoes would leave; money would show up.

Halloween season one year. Dad gets a shipment of pumpkins from his cousin in Oklahoma (we lived in Kansas). We would leave them out during the day unattended, and people would put money in the can, and Dad had me load them up onto the trailer every evening and take them to the backyard... except for Halloween. "Dad, want me to go load the pumpkins now?" Naw, let's not bother tonight. "Are you sure?" Yeah, we'll get them tomorrow.

I had a paper route that got me up at 3 in the morning. Our driveway actually looped into the backyard as the house's garage doors were on that side instead of the front. I fold my papers, put them in the basket attached to the mo-peds Dad got us, and drive around the house to get on the street. No pumpkins. I found them though - smashed on the street, against houses, one thrown through the windshield of a car... I realized that when Dad wasn't upset about their disappearance, this was his way of getting rid of the extra pumpkins that we wouldn't be able to sell.

TlalocW

[Mopar151]

17. Guy Clark's musical explanation

[Blue_Tires]

19. +1

[avebury]

3. K&R nt

[blueamy66]

4. I need to do this!

pronto!

[sendero]

6. It's so nice...

... when you open a thread and it just makes you smile

[porphyrian]

10. Very cool. n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing. K&R n/t

[tanyev]

12. Cool idea, but what happens when it rains?

[riderinthestorm]

14. Heh, that's exactly what I thought! But it is a great idea... K&R!

[demmiblue]

22. Heh... I thought about that, too.

I googled him and found some other pictures that show that most of what we see is under a porch-like structure.

[tanyev]

23. That's not gonna be much help during a monsoon. :)

Maybe the whole community helps him move the collection indoors.

[demmiblue]

27. I am sure that the community is very helpful. :)

I saw another pic of him drying books on an over-turned canoe!

[justiceischeap]

16. Of course, if we tried this in the US

there would be all kinds of hell rained down on our heads because we wouldn't have the proper permits, building code, etc.

It's cool that he is able to do this in his country.

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Not to mention complaints of the neighbors of the traffic and the books bringing into the

neighborhood "the wrong element". (Yeah, people who think.)

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. We give away our eggs.

Only one person has insisted on paying for them.
Neighbors and friends of friends come get them, about 7 doz a week.
and we get back homebaked goodies, often, which delights Mr. Dixie, since I do not bake much anymore.

[druidity33]

21. A matter of scale...

but i've been building my first little free library for a couple of weeks. I hope to have it ready before the ground freezes. We'll see...

http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/

[demmiblue]

25. Kudos to you!

Please keep us posted as to how it goes.

I love the Little Red British Phone Booth Library!



P.S. Is this your site or your inspiration? Either way, it is wonderful!

[druidity33]

28. I heard about these a few months ago...

I have been building a shed recently and have some scrap bits kicking around. Trick is to make it spiderproof. Also, to get it set in deep enough and set back enough that the snow plow doesn't take it out during Winter.

I have lots of delightful books that could give people all sorts of alternative ideas! (suggestions are welcome) I would be the first in my small rural town to put one up!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. love it. I was thinking this was a clip about an outdoor bookstore in Old Lyme CT I just

went to. Looks exactly the same. But, you had to buy the books. cheap, but still had to buy.