Tiny street libraries popping up in front yards across Australia could soon outnumber conventional public libraries and encourage a love of books among children as schools get on board.
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The wooden boxes, which allow passersby to take books and leave their own, have been set up in 100 locations across the country in the short time since the program launched in November last year and Street Library Australia founder Nic Lowe has set an ambitious target of 5000 libraries by 2020.
Australia Street Infants School in Newtown has become the first school to set up a street library and Mr Lowe is hoping more schools will follow the example.
"Schools are good because they're a part of people's lives where they actively think about literacy, especially in their kids' lives when they're teaching them to read," he said.
With 2016 NAPLAN reading scores showing a limited increase of 0.4 per cent nationally since 2013 and falling 0.09 per cent in NSW schools, a new approach to finding and reading books could benefit students as well as wider communities.
"Societies have changed and libraries need to change with them," Michelle Jensen, president of the School Library Association of NSW, said.
"I know a school library that collects books and sells them for $1 because the kids don't own enough books. A street library would be a great idea there because the books would keep circulating."
The City of Sydney is backing the project by supporting monthly workshops on building and installing street libraries.
City of Sydney chief executive Monica Barone said: "Through our libraries, and the street library initiative, we are able to provide equitable access for everyone to a wide range of reading materials free of charge."
Four completely new sets of books pass through the Australia Street Infants School street library every week because of its central location, Mr Lowe estimates.
The street library in his own yard will cycle through a set of books about once every week.
"It's a bit like magic, I've only filled it once, but it'll get a bit low and then fill up again," Mr Lowe said.
"People take a book and then a week later they'll look around the house and think, 'we should put something back'."
The concept has taken off globally, with about 40,000 street libraries operating in more than 70 countries.
"It's all about communities taking control instead of waiting for councils to do it," said Mr Lowe, who also co-founded the GoGet car share service.
As well as helping him get to know neighbours he wouldn't otherwise have met, Mr Lowe said at least one library was shaking up the local dating scene.
"There's one on Oxford Street where I heard people were exchanging love letters through books. Notes saying 'If you leave this book for me I'll give you my number'."
