Welcome to the Transient Library!

A place to track books that want to go somewhere! Post pictures and locations of the books you have found in the wild or add a book to the library!

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1984, by George Orwell.

With DakhaBrakha playing at KEXP this evening, it only felt right leaving this book there. As I write this, their home country, Ukraine, is still ruthlessly being invaded by the authoritarian Russian state. While Putin pushes disinformation across the world and tampers with any and all free elections he can, I can only be reminded of Big Brother. This copy (along with many other paperbacks) was graciously donated by a friend of mine named Mark. I have never met anyone more "punk rock" than that man. I barely had to pitch the Transient Library to him before he gave us a paper bag full of books.

-Michael

P.S. My favorite thing about this copy is that it is heavily annotated (and not by Mark, apparently). It gives the book a sense of personal history.

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Spring cleaning your bookcase!

Okay okay! I know, spring is in like, a month---but still! When you go through your bookshelf consider donating those old used lovelies to the Transient Library. Have a paperback gathering dust? Maybe you have a book that meant a lot to you in an early time of your life that no longer resonates. Remember, books carry power, and the right book, at the right time, can change a person's life. Here is our guide on how to join the library and pass your sweeties along!

I have three rules for my bookcase: 1. Keep all hardbounds.

2. Get rid of all paperbacks, unless they are rare.

3. You can keep a paperback only if you plan on replacing it with a hardbound within a season.

Alas, I am eccentric. By no means will I judge if you have a different system. HOWEVER! If you decide to get rid of a book, please please please consider giving it to our library.

Now the fun begins! How do you organize your bookcase after you have paired it down? Personally, I like to organize it by color instead of the Dewey Decimal Classification System (I feel like this always has to be written like that because it scares me). @californiastatelibrary can you settle this debate? What is the best way to organize books?

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It arrived!

The first book in the library came to me in the mail today. It was passed around by many of my friends before coming to me, your special librarian, Maggie Gunn! I just added an official "Transient Library Sticker" and will set it free tomorrow.

I feel like an anxious mother right now. It successfully made its way to me through friends with the intent to pass it along but tomorrow it could be in anyone's hands. Someone could just keep it, or worse, throw it away. But I've got my fingers crossed that this project is important and that people are (for the most part) good. Here is hoping it gets passed along! If you see this book in the wild, let me know! Send me pictures and tell me where you found it, and where you are leaving it off!

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How to add a book to the Transient Library!

Looks like Michael beat me to the punch with a post and a book Ugh! Still need to get to my P.O. Box for our "first" book. That's what you get when you have ADHD I guess. My friends and I chipped in to have special inlets and stickers made for this ambitious project. That does not mean that you cannot get in on the action yourselves! Here is a DIY you can try at home to send your dusty treasures out into the world:

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

All you really need is an envelope, a flash card, a pen, some glue, and some scissors. Before we begin make sure to seal your envelope!

Step 2: Cut the envelope.

This will act as the "inlet" inside of the book.

Step 3: Prepare your flash card.

Okay, so maybe I forgot a tool: a ruler. I just used the edge of the book. So now you want to turn the flash card into a "lending card". Make sure to have the "author", "title" and "location". Maybe give us a shout-out and write down our URL?

Step 4: Glue the back of the inlet.

Step 5: Place the inlet, with the card, firmly inside the book cover.

Once done, pick a "third place" you think would help give the book some love on its journey and cross your fingers! Hopefully, some stranger will pick up your well-loved treasure, read it, and pass it along to some other stranger who needs to read it. With luck, this book (one of my all time favorites!) will have many, many signatures and temporary homes to live in.

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This partial spine repair, done by our wonderful Preservation department, is so soothing to watch! The book is wrapped in a bandage at the end to further distribute the PVA glue and to apply gentle, even pressure as the glue dries.

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Books need care too!

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Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

When people ask me what my favorite cyberpunk story is, I answer RoboCop, which is true but earnestly the best cyberpunk story is Snow Crash. Eerily prophetic and apocryphal, the book is equally juvenile and cerebral in all the best ways. Adding this one the library was an easy choice. I am leaving it at KEXP under Mag's recommendation. If you see this book and have come to this little blog, please take a picture of it and let us know where you are leaving it (after you have read it). Happy reading,

-Michael

P.S. My favorite thing about this edition is the "About the Type" section here:

A section clearly made for readers and nerds (and yes, that is a "Trump is a traitor" sticker on the back of it).

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So this is Florida now...

Read it yourself: All 673 books removed from Orange classrooms

Here is a list of the 673 books removed from teachers’ classroom shelves in Orange County for fear they might violate state law and rules on

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We live in a very scary time where fascism is primed to destroy our democracy. Books are precious, and it is one of our goals in the Transient Library to spread them in spite of this oppression. VOTE!

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First post!

You never know when you will come across a book that will change your life. The right book at the right time can be the impetus of a new life. You could be at a cafe, an airport, or even a bus stop when a book someone forgot about becomes your new friend. That's why I've created what I am calling the "Transient Library"! Let's change the world one book at a time with this in mind!

The Transient Library will be for everyone (I wanted to call it the Nomad Library but the name is taken by a Las Vegas restaurant lol!). I'll post a mission statement, photos, and tutorials to "join" soon! I've already got a friend sending some books out into the wild and I'll have one of my own out too! Happy reading world, this is going to be great!