In a world where the love of books crosses boundaries, Hidden Libraries by Lonely Planet takes you on a completely new journey to discover 50 of the most unique and unusual libraries across the globe.
From horse-drawn libraries in Ethiopia to seaside book sanctuaries in China, this new Lonely Planet release sheds light on the incredible lengths and stories people go to ensure access to books, even in the most remote corners of the earth.
Below is an extract from Hidden Libraries. RRP $42.99 and available online now.
Think Differently Book Exchange
Christchurch, New Zealand
Between 2010 and 2011, a series of earthquakes hit New Zealand’s South Island. Their magnitude ranged from 6.3 to 7.1. Some 10,000 homes were reduced to rubble or partially destroyed. Over 185 people perished.
Power outages were widespread, and all non-essential services were shut down, including libraries. Kiwis went into overdrive to repair what was broken, including librarians who saw an immediate need to get books into traumatised hands.
So, in July 2011, five months after their second big quake, a giant catering refrigerator was set down across from Pike Wholefoods supermarket in Christchurch and filled with books.
The waterproof library at the corner of Kilmore and Barbadoes Streets was the brainchild of community arts initiative, Gapfiller, and local librarians. It was just meant to be temporary, a way to fill a suddenly vacated lot, and to provide a passable, if tiny, substitute for a real repository of books.
The library was officially dubbed the Think Differently Book Exchange. Neighbourhood residents were invited to come and stock the fridge with books that had altered their perspectives.
The theme was local librarian Sarah Gallagher’s idea. She didn’t want a free library with just a random assortment of books. “Our world has been turned upside down…and I think we’re all thinking differently about life now,” she said in 2011 on her personal website. “By asking people to bring along a book to share that inspired them to think differently…we thought perhaps it could help others think differently too.”
Why a fridge? Coralie Winn, founder of Gap-filler, had initially planned for the site to be a cafe. But this idea had to be scrapped after she connected with Sarah Gallagher, who saw the need for a book exchange as a response to the city’s library closures.
The idea of a catering fridge – large, shelved, and waterproof – as a depository for the books quickly stuck.
When the library officially opened, over 100 people turned up with books in hand. “I was flat out several hours registering books and explaining how the Book Exchange works,” said Gallagher. “We had queues both at the deposit desk, and the fridge itself. It was tremendous and touching to see how excited people were about the project. Some people turned up with a carefully chosen book, a note inside explaining how it made them THINK DIFFERENTLY; others bought box loads.”
The books are organised by genre, including fantasy, general fiction, non-fiction and kids. The sections are bookended by objects like milk bottles and mason jars.
Christchurch’s traditional libraries have since reopened, but, more than ten years later, the fridge remains a post-quake icon.
HOW TO FIND IT
Kilmore and Barbadoes Streets, Christchurch, New Zealand
For more information on the Book Exchange
The library got new owners in 2019 in the form of Pike Wholefoods, the supermarket across the street. The owners are committed to maintaining the little fridge’s place in the neighbourhood.
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