We’ve been offline here at Little Impact for several months—it’s been all hands on deck for a local project that we’re running called the Storefront Library. Below is a description of the project (a temporary public library in a vacant storefront) which we’ve extended through January 17, 2010. Come visit us there, and we’ll see you back here at Little Impact in 2010.
The Chinatown Storefront Library has transformed one of Boston Chinatown’s vacant, commercial, street-level spaces into a temporary public library. Operating for approximately three months, the project is creating a memorable event for Chinatown, while providing a selection of urgently needed services for a community that has been without a library since 1956. The library offers: books, Internet access, newspapers, a children’s reading area, and a mix of programs and activities.
The Storefront Library is not a branch of the Boston Public Library, nor is it intended to be a substitute for a permanent branch. The project’s purpose is to activate street-level space with an installation that will demonstrate the potential impact of a library in the neighborhood. It will also model how cities can move forward in tough economic times to activate urban space.