Hiking in De Kalb county park with Julie Newton, a conservator at Emory College, we came upon an outdoor found
art gallery. Trails lined with installations, one was a scrolling tree mounted artists' books. We even found a Free Library.
The Free Library movement is awesome. A little box full of
books, mounted on a pole with a roof over it. Books free for the taking. Such a
friendly way to share something you love with neighbors, with anyone who passes
by your house. When we spent the week in Atlanta both friends we stayed with
had “Free Libraries” out in front of their houses. People stopped by on a
regular basis, some even exchanging new books for old! Both said that they have
regulars that have become friends, and regulars who they only recognize but
have never spoken with. Both actually “curate” the libraries in their boxes so
the selection will remain interesting. They remove books that have been in the
box too long. They both are constantly on the lookout for new books to add, and
every once in the while even go buy children’s books to have for one of their
“regulars”.
As part of our 40-year celebration the libraries at both
Emory and Savannah College of Art and Design had up shows with our books on
display.
But then libraries are not limited to books. On our way to
Brasstown, NC, at Blood Mountain, in Georgia near the southern end of the
Appalachian Trail, we found one more library; a ‘library’ of shoes - hanging
from the branches of a tree. Some worn out by hiking from the Canadian border,
others hardly worn at all, only for a week or so since the start of the trail a
bit south of there, obviously the wrong size or shape for the wearer. And like
the little free libraries, these shoes are free for the taking if you can find
your size and style, and if you can climb high enough.
