1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. I'm Josh, and 2 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: there's chalk and we're sitting in for day today and 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: this is short stuff. 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 2: That's right, and we are here today to talk about 5 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 2: This is sort of a two parter in one about 6 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 2: I'm just calling this all to libraries as an alternative libraries. 7 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: Sure. 8 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 2: One reason is because I was on a walk the 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 2: other day and we have quite a few little free 10 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: libraries in our neighborhood and they are all super cute. 11 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,599 Speaker 2: If you don't know what we're talking about, little boxes, 12 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: usually in the shape of a house, or it could 13 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 2: be a doghouse, or it could be a literal library 14 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 2: or schoolhouse, just some sort of small housey type structure 15 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 2: with a little clear door, and inside are our books 16 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 2: that you can take a book, you can take a 17 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 2: couple of books, you can leave a book. And it's 18 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 2: just one of the great things. And I grabbed one. 19 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 2: I usually don't even look at them that much because 20 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 2: I just have too many books I'm behind on already, 21 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 2: but I one popped up in my peripheral vision that 22 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: would be perfect for Ruby. So I grabbed it, and 23 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: she's reading it and loving it, and so I thought 24 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: we should do a little ode to alt libraries like this. 25 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: What was the book. 26 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: I can't remember, the Last Kids on Earth or something 27 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 2: like that. 28 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: Well, that sounds good. 29 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 2: That may not be the title, but that's sort of 30 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 2: the premise. 31 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: Is she she might be told for this, but maybe not. 32 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: Has she ever read any of the scary stories to 33 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: tell in the Dark books? 34 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 2: I don't think. And it is actually called The Last 35 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: Kids on Earth. It looks like it's a series. No, 36 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 2: that sounds like something right, a p rally though. 37 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: Okay, go to eBay and find whatever editions came out 38 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: in the eighties. Okay, because they have some of the 39 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: greatest illustrations ever that made everything so much more unsettling. 40 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: You have to get those watercolor illustrations or else. Don't 41 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: even bother. 42 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: I'm looking at them now and they are terrifying. 43 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: They are. It's so great. I remember being a kid 44 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: and just being like, this is so great. I feel 45 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: so alive. 46 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 2: Thanks for the wreck. 47 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's also more scary stories of Tonnel in Dark 48 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: pretty much equally good. 49 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 2: So maybe we should flip it and start with little 50 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,679 Speaker 2: Free your Libraries. Since I mentioned that one first as Inspirado, 51 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 2: but in twenty nine how the story goes, and this 52 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: is straight from their website. A man named Todd Bowle 53 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 2: from Wisconsin, Hudson, Wisconsin started it all when he built 54 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 2: a little model of a schoolhouse, of a little one 55 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 2: room schoolhouse, is a tribute to his mom, who's a teacher, 56 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 2: put it on a post, put some books in it, 57 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 2: and said, hey, everyone, if you want a book, take one. 58 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 2: If you want to drop one off, that'd be great too, 59 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:38,919 Speaker 2: And it was a big hit. 60 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: It was a huge hit. Actually, So apparently Andrew Carnegie 61 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: funded I believe twenty five hundred plus. For some reason, 62 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: everybody says twenty five hundred and eight, so I'm guessing 63 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: that's the number public libraries around the turn of the 64 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: last century or early last century, and there's still plenty 65 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: around that. He essentially partnered with whatever local government and 66 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: said I'll give you a bunch of money, or I'll 67 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: throw in half or something like that, and that was 68 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: one of the big pieces of philanthropy he was known for. 69 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: So I guess Todd bowl and Rick Brooks said let's 70 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: try to see if we can make twenty five hundred 71 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: and eight of these things by the end of twenty thirteen, 72 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: which was a couple of years after they started, and 73 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: they just blew that goal out of the water. 74 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. Rich Brooks was the guy, like he said, he 75 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 2: partnered with He actually retired from the which is now 76 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 2: NGO in twenty fourteen, but he, you know, there were 77 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 2: pals and he thought it was a great idea, and 78 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 2: again inspired by Carnegie, they set out to start building 79 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: these by twenty ten. So in twenty nine is when 80 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: the first one was built. By twenty ten, it was 81 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 2: like an established thing that was happening. They started to 82 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 2: give them away. They had charter signs if it was 83 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 2: an official one engraved with a charter number, and it 84 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 2: just people were into it and they start, you know, 85 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: you see one of these things in your neighborhood. I 86 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 2: remember when I saw the first one, I was like, wow, 87 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 2: that's an incredible idea. And it felt like within that 88 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 2: year we had like six or seven more. 89 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. I remember the first time I saw when I 90 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: didn't get the concept. So I kind of brought it 91 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: down a book that I wanted, and so I looked 92 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: around to make sure no one was looking, and put 93 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: it in my jacket and ran off really quick. 94 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: Thought you got a bunch of books and you sold 95 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 2: money bay. 96 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: No, I just took one and sold it on eBay. Yeah, eventually. 97 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: But I said that when they started, they wanted to 98 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: make twenty five hundred and eight of these things within 99 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: a couple of years. They ended up surpassing that with 100 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: a year and a half left before their goal date, 101 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: and they just kept going from there. Apparently, Chuck, here's 102 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: some mind boggling numbers for you. So they started into 103 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: two thousand and nine. In twenty twenty two, there were 104 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 1: more than one hundred and fifty thousand Little Free Library 105 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: credible across the world, in one hundred and twenty different countries. 106 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. I did not know it had gone international until 107 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 2: I started doing this research. It's just incredible, Like I said, 108 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 2: Brooks retired in twenty fourteen. Someone actually wrote in twenty 109 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 2: fifteen a woman named Margaret. Oh, she's a pretty famous author. Actually, 110 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 2: Margaret Aldrich wrote the Little Free Library book. So all 111 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 2: of a sudden, it's like launching books in and of itself. 112 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 2: They got in twenty fourteen that same year the Library 113 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 2: of Congress Literacy Award. Just like people are lauding it. 114 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 2: People are building these things like crazy, and it's just 115 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: become one of the cool things that the you know, 116 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 2: started here in the US and then spread all over 117 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 2: the place. Very sadly, in twenty eighteen, Todd Bowle passed 118 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 2: away from pancreatic cancer after the launch of their seventy 119 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 2: five thousandth at the time Little Free Library, and he 120 00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 2: was working for them up until the end and has 121 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 2: a great quote, I really believe in a little free 122 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 2: library on every block and a book in every hand. 123 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 2: I believe people can fix their neighborhoods, fix their communities, 124 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 2: develop systems of sharing, learn from each other, and see 125 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 2: that they have a better place in this planet to live. 126 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: Very sweet. That's a great last interview quote. 127 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty awesome. 128 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 1: All right, Well, let's take a break and we'll come 129 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: back and talk about a different kind of alt library 130 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: after this stop Stop put the stop show, okay, Chuck. 131 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: So we already talked about little free libraries, which anybody 132 00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: can make. And if you want some tips, like we said, 133 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: go check out the Little Free Library book. If you 134 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: saw that in a little free library, wouldn't the universe 135 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: is collapse in on itself. 136 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 2: Yeah. You can also donate to them, of course. 137 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's that kind of give a book take a 138 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: book thing. I don't know if we spelled it out 139 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: or if we needed to, but that's the premise of it, right. 140 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. 141 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: Another thing was called the Human Library, and this was 142 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: the result of a couple of who I take to 143 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: be artists, brothers, Ronnie Abergail and Danny Abergil. They yeah, 144 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: they for a festival in Denmark about the year two thousand. 145 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: They created the Human Library. In Danish, they call it 146 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: menesque BiblioTech it but all one word. 147 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, BiblioTech is that's in a lot of languages, right. 148 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: Sure, but you add the et to the end and 149 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,679 Speaker 1: you got Danish, that's right. So they what they created 150 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: with this human Library was the concept that the books 151 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: were human beings, and they were human beings that people 152 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: might want to get information from. So there were human 153 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: beings who were typically look down upon, mistreated, had different 154 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: experiences from the mainstream. So you had like books that 155 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: were trans people, unhoused people, people from different races, and 156 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: you can check out one of these books, this human book, 157 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: and hang out with them and ask them whatever question 158 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: you want, and then you take them back and check 159 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: out another one. 160 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. It's sort of part performance art, part ted talking 161 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 2: away just kind of referring to them as books, as 162 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 2: was the hook I think, and obviously something to you know, 163 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 2: draw attention to their cause, which is very noble. I 164 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 2: think it started out as a small festival and I 165 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 2: think it ran eight hours a day for over four 166 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 2: days initially with fifty human books available, and now it 167 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 2: is an international thing. They have human libraries in Asia, Africa, Australia, 168 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 2: both of the Americas and Europe. 169 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. I thought this is kind of cute too. So 170 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: if you're a volunteer as a book, you go through 171 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:09,960 Speaker 1: a vetting process and then they teach you how to 172 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: do this and they call that getting published. And then 173 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: once you're published, you can be checked out. And the 174 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: rules for readers are that you respect the book, be curious, 175 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: bring the book back on time and in the same condition. 176 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,839 Speaker 1: I'm keeping this book if you read between the lines. 177 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: I think bring it back in the same condition means 178 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: that they don't want any pages stuck together with a booker. 179 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, don't make your book to your dishes, don't put 180 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 2: your book to work. That's not what this is about. 181 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: Well, luckily, the book can end the loan anytime they want, 182 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: like if things go pear shaped they can be like, 183 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,439 Speaker 1: I'm taking myself back to the library. 184 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, just stamp my forehead so I can leave, right. 185 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: They also have mobile libraries called book depots. The headquarters 186 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: for this that it just carried on for the last 187 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: couple of decades. It's headquartered in Copenhagen, but they have 188 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: mobile libraries and I guess they just go round up 189 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 1: the books and they're like, sorry, you're you're published. They'll 190 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: come in with us on the road for a little while. 191 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, you can also like book a group of books 192 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 2: or you know, check out a group of books at 193 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 2: one time. Like a company can do this, and companies 194 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 2: have done this. They'll you know, it's something that companies do. 195 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 2: They'll bring in like guest speakers and stuff, and in 196 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 2: this case they're doing it in the form of human books. 197 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 2: They'll bring in a few different people to bring in 198 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 2: to talk about, you know, things that again just sort 199 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 2: of like an individual would like, hey, let's bring in 200 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 2: some people that maybe don't even work on our field, 201 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 2: but might enlighten you to some diverse topics and people 202 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 2: and ways of thinking. So like Microsoft and Eli, Lilly 203 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 2: and other brands have gotten together to kind of do 204 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 2: this over the years. 205 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: Yes, and I think invariably at all of those events 206 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: there's at least one person who raises their hand and says, so, wait, 207 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:58,319 Speaker 1: this is just Q and. 208 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 2: A, right, Like, I don't get it. 209 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: What's the library thing? I don't Yeah, I'm totally confused. Yeah, 210 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: and they probably don't get very much out of the 211 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 1: experience exactly. 212 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 2: Those people never do. But yeah, it's just sort of 213 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 2: a fun hook. I like stuff like this. Some people 214 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 2: might say it's silly go through notebooks are just people 215 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 2: and it's just a Q and A. But I encourage 216 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 2: people like that to sort of broaden their horizons, think 217 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 2: outside the old box a little bit and CTFD. 218 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, just make sure that the person you're dragging off 219 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: to be checked out is a published book. And that's 220 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: some rando. 221 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 2: No, you don't want to do that. Hey, you're coming 222 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 2: with me. That's called kid that's called kidnapping. 223 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: Right, you got anything else? 224 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 2: I got nothing else. Support Little Free Library, support the 225 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 2: Human Book Project. 226 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: And support all libraries too. 227 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, those are great. 228 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: Also, short stuff is. 229 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:55,239 Speaker 2: That Stuff you should know is a production of iHeartRadio. 230 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,959 Speaker 2: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app 231 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 2: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.