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Move over Metro and amNewYork, put down that Kindle commuters—there's a new option for underground reading: books. Non-profit group Choose What You Read NY has started a free underground book exchange that encourages folks to recycle used books by passing them on to fellow straphangers. A sticker with the organization's logo signifies where the book came from, and readers are encouraged to bring it back for someone else once they are done. The distribution takes place once a month right now—they say, "You will find us near major subway stations on the first Tuesday of each month." Drop-off boxes will also be on hand, and are currently set up at three other locations as well (Whole Foods, Revival Bar and KGB Bar). Learn more at their Facebook page, and read about the program from the founder herself, Claire Wilson. She says, "This isn’t about being highbrow. We’re not saying we want everyone to read Kafka on the train. If you want to read a tabloid, go for it—but choose one and buy it. Don’t just take whatever is pushed at you." [via Idealist]
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It's the same media that NEVER mentioned Muslims' hatred of Israel as a possible motive for 9/11.
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If they spray the books with Lysol, maybe.
brooks was here.
I might need this now that Bloomberg/Quinn closed down Donnell library and their real estate buddies drove out Chelsea' B&N
Yes, because they were the only library and bookstore in all of Manhattan. Didn't the NYPL close down Donnell rather than the city?
Right, if I remember correctly, the NYPL was paid handsomely for it and were guaranteed space in the new building. B&N probably closed the Chelsea store because it was too close to the Union Square location and wasn't worth the new rent.
Nope the Trustee that closed the Donnell Library are close friend with bloomberg and sold it to a real estate developer. it was back door dealing.
After 52 years as one of the most heavily used branches of the New York Public Library system, the Donnell Library Center on West 53rd Street will mostly close at the end of this week. A small circulating collection will remain open, in the basement, through the end of August. Then the building will be razed to make way for an 11-story hotel. When the $220 million hotel opens, sometime around 2011, a new Donnell will occupy part of the first floor and an underground area, coexisting with hotel guests paying $750 to $2,000 per night for a room.
Oh God forbid we lose a B&N, what an incredible loss for this great city.
I guess you prefer McDonalds.
I really hope germophobia would not actually keep people from participating in this, which I think is nice, although completely unneccesary. I mean I'm pretty sure most people that want something to read have a pretty good handle on, you know, bringing something to read on the train.
Anyway, germs: you have to eat stuff off the ground in order to be able to eat stuff off the ground. No more pansy immune systems.!
But will the books be new releases or books of interest? or books that are no one buys at the strand.
here isn’t going to be any replacement library at Donnell, don’t you get it? The whole thing was a Madoff type scam. There wasn’t anything wrong with the building except the trustees decided to sell it to their friends for far less that what it was worth as real estate, And if you don’t believe me that there’s not going to be another library there, EVER, do me a favor and hold your breath until 2011 and tell me what you see there when it’s time to breathe.
Donnell is closed?!!
Why don't they deport all the branches beyond 125th street. Ridiculous what is happening to this City.
I'm an NYPL children's librarian and was not happy when Donnell closed down... actually worked the last day it was open.
that being said, I'm gonna push my own agenda!
take out books from The New York Public Library.
screw this pass it along reading crap!
this will be very popular among the NY apprehensive-germophobic-white crowd.
I think this is racist?
here isn’t going to be any replacement library at Donnell, don’t you get it? The whole thing was a Madoff type scam. There wasn’t anything wrong with the building except the trustees decided to sell it to their friends for far less that what it was worth as real estate, f And if you don’t believe me that there’s not going to be another library there, EVER, do me a favor and hold your breath until 2011 and tell me what you see there when it’s time to breathe.
Donnell closed. For better or worse (and there was a lot of "worse" when it came to that building), there are almost 40 other public libraries in Manhattan alone, a number of which are less than 10 blocks from where Donnell was.
Public libraries exist to offer this service. This is communist, hipster nonsense.
libraries are communists??? wth. this is republican bullshit that wants an uninformed population that eats their mantra. fuck that
What Donnell has to do with the number of NYPL branches in Manhattan? There is not a branch in NYC similar to Donnell.
And where are these 40 branches by the way. The last time I checked there was no branch between 64th and 103rd street in the Upper West Side. One between was closed for reconstruction (a few years deal).
If you're at 34 and 8th Ave, do you know where is the closest branch?
Please, using the word "communist" is very inappropriate. The "commies" are famous for closing libraries with foreign books, just like your friends in the City.
No, you imbecile. Public libraries are there to provide this service & have a proven infrastructure intended exactly for it. This other crap is a wasted effort.
The physical primacy of a local library branch is fairly redundant as far as circulation goes. Both the NYPL, the BPL--christ, any medium-sized metro public library system has a distributed catalog system where they share and request on demand.
My local library branch in bumblecrack Brooklyn is as far from the main branch of one could get, but I can get a borrow on the most recondite release in the entire system just by asking for it. And the BPL will text me when it's ready for pick-up at my local branch, (by the way, super hats off to the people at both the NYPL and the Brooklyn Public Library for leveraging your physical capital resources with information technology infrastructure.)
I'm interested in CHWR_NY is doing though. I think it's great when anyone tries to increase the circulation of books--already read, used, germy (and I find that accusation completely Victorian-era absurd), brand new or otherwise. Good luck to this new book sharing endeavor.
I e-mailed asking about the Whole Foods logo on the website. Always the skeptical New Yorker, I'm wondering if this is some viral marketing scam. I'm an avid library patron, so I'm a bit defensive, although this is of course a different model.
"I e-mailed asking about the Whole Foods logo on the website. Always the skeptical New Yorker, I'm wondering if this is some viral marketing scam."
I don't think Whole Foods' involvement is a marketing scam per se. At least not one worth getting too upset over. I've seen book drop-off boxes near the exit of the Union Square Whole Foods, which I now presume are fron this organization. So if Whole Foods is letting this organization put a few drop off boxes next to where the grovery store also collect recyclables, then I don't see any problem in their getting recognized for their involvement with a logo on the website.
The whole thing seems like a slightly more organized version of things like www.bookcrossing.com or www.goodreads.com. Nothing too wrong with that, I guess...
Well, they didn't write me back, but I just noticed that the Whole Foods logo is gone from the website and there is some language emphasizing that they are a non-profit organization.