Burnaby has four new mini-libraries around town, and they’re meant to serve as a gathering point for neighbours to mingle and exchange free books.

The project is the brainchild of two local women, who partnered with the Burnaby Association of Community Inclusion and Artist Helping Artists.

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“We believe in the power of art,” said Burnaby resident Mary Battemberg. “(Art) can heal the place and can heal the people, and at the same time, we are doing some legacy to install the mini-libraries. They will be a point of meeting of the people or point of reference to help build community.”

The libraries are small wooden boxes built to house books and protect them from the weather. BACI helped make the boxes, and Artists Helping Artists, a group for artists with disabilities, helped decorate the finished products.

Three of the four library boxes have been installed already; the locations are 7575 Kingsway, 5675 Neville St. and 5538 Chaffey St. The fourth will be at Burnaby’s SFU campus next year. All three library boxes are close to social housing complexes where people with developmental disabilities live.

“What we’re trying to do with the book exchange initiative is to … increase connections between people - between people living in the building as well as people living in the neighbouhood,” said Richard Faucher, executive director of BACI.

Both Battemberg and her partner Shagun Bhanot are members of the City of Burnaby’s immigrants’ advisory council. Battemberg and Bhanot secured a Vancouver Foundation grants for small, community building projects to help cover the costs of the library boxes.