What, besides books, could go in a little free library?

January 22, 2024 1:33 PM

I just saw one on FB offering period products, and I'm intrigued by the possibilites.

Useful, whimsical, in-between, I'm here for all of it.

posted by Archipelago to Grab Bag (42 answers total)

Games
posted by Windopaene at 1:33 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Consumable craft items: little crochet kits, markers/colored pencils, blunt scissors, glue. Either a la carte or as kits in little bags.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:36 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Yep, came here to suggest games: cards, board games, cribbage board, mancala, etc.

Alternately, offer the tools, supplies, and instructions for some hobby:

• Seeds, hand tools, and gardening books.
• Bird books and cheap binoculars.
• Cooking gadgets (e.g., frosting tips and a how-to book).
• A skein of yarn and a crochet hook, or a block of wood and a carving knife.
• A weird pan and instructions, like for making crepes or ladyfingers.

posted by wenestvedt at 1:38 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Little plants, seeds and other personal care products like toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant.
posted by foxjacket at 1:40 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

In my neighborhood there is a Little Free Fiber Library: yarn, knitting/crochet supplies, and pattern books are in it. It's very popular!
posted by mcduff at 1:40 PM on January 22 [7 favorites]

One of my neighbors has one with fasteners, like nuts, bolts, screws, nails, etc. Another one has container lids that don't fit their containers in case you have the container missing the lid.
posted by advicepig at 1:41 PM on January 22 [11 favorites]

A small magnifying glass.
Thinking a bit more along that line, cheap reading glasses.
posted by SPrintF at 1:42 PM on January 22

A friend of mine maintains several Little Free Libraries at transit stations near Denver, CO, and the most interesting non-book things I've seen her put in them are Narcan and stickers.
posted by rhiannonstone at 1:42 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

We have one nearby for other self care things like hotel soaps, wet wipes, etc. Winter gloves and hats. Small trinkets that delight kids in strollers - fidgets and stickers, mostly.
posted by dpx.mfx at 1:42 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Movies.
posted by Marky at 1:45 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I occasionally see old DVDs and even VHS tapes turn up in the ones in my neighborhood, alongside the usual books. The local animal hospital has one with animal books, pet-care guides, and boxes of doggie treats labeled "take one" for passersby.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:46 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

A friend maintains a little free art gallery. Down the street from me someone maintains a Take A Rock, Leave A Rock library for interesting stones.
posted by Ookseer at 1:50 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

Food, although then technically it would be a Little Free Pantry. I've also seen ones used to display art (not for removal).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:51 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

In my neighborhood there’s a little free art gallery. Around the corner from a friend there’s a jigsaw puzzle library that takes up two largish LFL style boxes and a newspaper box. That one has instructions for getting replacements for missing pieces. And I’ve seen a couple for canned foods, as well as a seed library.
posted by fedward at 1:53 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

I see puzzles in my area. One has a box of sidewalk chalk and instructions to draw in the area (and please leave chalk there).

Plants are fun but imo require a a dedicated plant stand in a good location with near daily care (I run one of these, highly recommend :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:55 PM on January 22

Voter registration forms
posted by brookeb at 1:55 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

I love all these ideas! Just jumping in to say that whatever you choose, your neighbors may decide it's a free for all. We maintain a pretty large little free library in front of our house and everyone pretty much decided it's where the free stuff goes. We've had everything from DVDs to bikes to stereo equipment show up along with the frequent absolute junk like old baskets and vases no one wants.
Edited to add: For a long time we kept dog treats along with the books and it was a big hit!
posted by tangosnail at 1:56 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Little free poet tree
posted by IridescentMoth at 1:57 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I put small boxes of sidewalk chalk in mine. (Counter to the one in SaltySaltcid's neighborhood, I'm intending them to be taken home, so I try to have a few boxes in there at a time.)
posted by yuwtze at 1:58 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

We have one, and we limit it to "stuff you generally find at a library" so that means books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and the like. The nice thing about this is that even if it gets messy, there's kind of a natural limit to how messy a pile of that sort of thing is.

We have gotten some donations of clothing and toys and household goods and canned food, and frankly we really don't want to deal with that. There are plenty of established places to donate that sort of stuff. Plus those things actually do get super messy, and also take up our very limited space that we actually want to fill with mostly books.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:03 PM on January 22

I'm about to put unused greeting cards and postcards in one near me.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:09 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

A bit outside the box, but for the past few years just up the street from our own LFL, a neighbor has put out a "Little Sled Library" that has a collection of cheapo sleds for kids to grab and use on the gentle slope there. I mean, not THIS year, because there's no snow, but it's been quite popular with the kids (not so much with the city, check your local ordinances)
posted by caution live frogs at 2:29 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

The Beach Toy lending library (also good place to drop off abandoned buckets etc). Stick and Ball libraries for dogs and their humans
posted by pipstar at 2:55 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

There is Narcan and ziplocs of basic hygiene items in one near my house (specifically, the one outside the local Salvation Army).
posted by mosst at 3:04 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

In our neighborhood, there is an anti-racist LFL, which is curated by its owners.
posted by chiefthe at 3:05 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Someone put six tablets of Gas-X in the LFL near me, which was interesting!
posted by mskyle at 3:22 PM on January 22

There's one near me that's all puzzles - very popular.

There's another one in STL that is a Free Little Art Gallery (instagram link). My understanding of this one is that it's a little free library of physically small art pieces.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 3:26 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

I've seen repackaged baseball cards (small number of cards wrapped in brown craft paper) in the LFL about a block north of my house.
posted by lousywiththespirit at 3:44 PM on January 22

Remembered another one:

The Snail Mail little free library

It's full of cards for all occasions. Postcards, birthday cards, blank cards, graduation cards, everything.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 3:49 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

I'd love to see one for pre-rolled joints. It's good to mix up strains to keep your tolerance low (and just to try new things), but cheaper to buy in bulk... maybe I'll start one!
posted by wheatlets at 3:55 PM on January 22

Plumber's teflon tape.
posted by cda at 4:12 PM on January 22

fresh baked bread and other homemade baked goods
posted by QuakerMel at 4:38 PM on January 22

pet supplies like food, toys, collars and leashes, clothing, etc.
posted by QuakerMel at 4:40 PM on January 22

My kid wanted to install one for use as a Halloween candy swap station but I said our neighborhood already was fully saturated with LFLs. Now though I'm delighted enough by the Tiny Art idea (looks like it'd be great for crafters who just can't stop) that perhaps we will join in after all.
posted by teremala at 4:41 PM on January 22

2nd QuakerMel. There's one in my old neighborhood for dog toys that your dog wasn't a fan of, but maybe someone else would like. "Take a toy; leave a toy".

A variety of other ideas here.
posted by hydra77 at 4:49 PM on January 22

Dog treats and poop bags.
posted by theora55 at 5:09 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

In my neighborhood there's a Little Free Food Pantry with non-perishable foodstuff. The sign above it says "Take what you need, give what you can."
posted by JonathanB at 6:57 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I've left puzzles, games, art.. One in my neighborhood has a sign that says "take a poem, leave a poem." Some do canned goods, too.
posted by Chalks-n-Locks at 9:11 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

There's another one somewhere in STL that is all hygiene items - not just period products, but also, say, shaving cream, soap, deodorant. Lots of the travel size items.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 6:03 AM on January 23

In my city I have seen libraries for VHS tapes, toys, puzzles, “tiny things”, “tiny creatures,” comics, Lego, small art pieces, poems, dioramas, records, toy cars, toy dinosaurs, toy ducks, yarn, seeds, plants, and medicinal herbs.
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 8:14 AM on January 23

Sometimes I go through old design magazines and cut bookmarks from the images. I leave some in the little libraries around my neighborhood.
posted by booth at 8:36 AM on January 23

School supplies.
posted by champers at 10:27 AM on January 24 [1 favorite]