But...the...books are free for anyone to take.

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Downtown Brandi Frown 😾
@ItsTheBrandi
But...the...books are free for anyone to take.

Bloomington Police
@BPD_MN
After some thefts from little libraries in our city, officers and staff came together to donate a bunch of books to the libraries. Now people can use and enjoy them again! 📚📖
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Wonder if they include "theft of free books" in their crime statistics?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. .

[LisaL]

2. Aren't you supposed to replace a book you take with another book?

NT

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. And if you don't, someone calls the cops?

[Ms. Toad]

5. Nope. It runs on the honor system.

A Little Free Library is a free book-sharing box where anyone may take a book or share a book. They function on the honor system. You do not need to share a book in order to take one. If you take a book or two from a little library, try to bring some to share to that same library, or another in your area, when you can.

https://littlefreelibrary.org/ufaqs/what-are-the-rules-of-little-free-library/

[RockRaven]

6. From the FAQ on the Little Free Library website:

"A Little Free Library is a free book-sharing box where anyone may take a book or share a book. They function on the honor system. You do not need to share a book in order to take one. If you take a book or two from a little library, try to bring some to share to that same library, or another in your area, when you can."

[obamanut2012]

7. No, it is not a book exchange

I work with the parent org and help set them up. Take a book, and you can share one if you are able, and you can return the book if you want, but it is not a book exchange or an actual library. Keep the book if you want. They are especially good for folks without certain ID, etc. Homeless, undocumented workers, etc.

Again, go read the FAQ: there is no expectation for a replacement book.

[tblue37]

9. That's suggested but not required.

[Ocelot II]

4. What might have happened is that people were taking all the books

and reselling them to used book stores. This happened in my area for awhile - the libraries were being completely cleaned out.

[Nevilledog]

8. Ummm....once you make something free & openly accessible you're outta luck legally.

That doesn't make people taking all the books less shitty, but it's not a crime of theft.

[Ocelot II]

10. That's true. It just shows the shittiness of some people.

[Nevilledog]

12. Shittiness abounds these days.

[Hugin]

11. What I've witnessed is vandalism to the library boxes themselves.

Super shitty.

And worthy of LEO intervention.

However, I find the article confusing. So, people are taking books? Great!

[Ocelot II]

16. I have one, and it's never been vandalized or harmed in any way, but

for awhile it was frustrating trying to keep books in it because people were pulling up in cars, jumping out and quickly grabbing all the books at once to sell at used book stores (this was happening all over the neighborhood). But it never occurred to me to call the cops because the LFLs operate on an honor system and so taking books isn't technically theft - some people just aren't honorable. This hasn't been happening lately, though.

[Hugin]

17. I'm glad to hear it...

I believe that overall the little library initiative is a fantastic idea.

I have mountains of books which are certainly readable, but, fortunately un-resalable for the most part. Paperbacks and etc.

My problem is the area in which I live the people wouldn't benefit from having a resource such as a little library.

[smirkymonkey]

19. Some people are such shitheads.

They have to ruin a good thing for everyone. Really bums me out.

[Thtwudbeme]

13. There are people that are taking the good/ newish books

and reselling them on Amazon/ ebay/ used book stores.

We have a "blessing box" in our neighborhood that we put things in-- water bottles, food, masks ..etc. For awhile someone was clearing it out every night. It's very sad that some people- very few- but some see this behavior as "OK"

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. I'm giving books to the free library a couple of blocks from me.

Not taking any, as I have far more than I need and I'm glad to get rid of some of the excess this way.

[lame54]

15. I think it falls under excessive doucheness

[nuxvomica]

18. So now I'm trying to think of how to engineer a more secure system

Not that I would suggest it, because I actually like the idea of an honor system. Someone once said something like, "I'd rather live life trusting in other people and being robbed occasionally than to never be robbed because I trust no one."