No late fees, no card required; Toronto's network of Little Free Libraries is part of a worldwide movement to get books out into circulation. With the weather getting somewhat warmer, the concept has homeowners installing small weather-safe boxes on their property, filling them with books, and then letting word-of-mouth do the rest. The project's initial focus was on children's books, but over time its scope has widened to include stuff for all ages. People are free to take a book, return it when they're done, and leave books of their own to add to the collection. And just like the Toronto Public Library, borrowed books can be returned to any "branch;" you can pick up a book in the Beaches and, when you're done, drop it off in the Junction.

The Little Free Library movement started around five years ago in Wisconsin, and it's snowballed; now there are around 15,000 LFLs worldwide. That's a lot of copies of The Da Vinci Code (although many would argue that even one is too much). People get creative with their little libraries, too—painting them in eye-popping colours, or making them look like miniature schoolhouses or log cabins. One Vancouver LFL even looks like a London-style telephone box! The Little Free Libraries may not have the vast selection the TPL has, but at least no one's going to shush you if you start chatting with your book-loving neighbours.



· The Little Free Library at Nesbitt Park [TheGrid]

· Peace, Love and a Bit of Free Literature [PostCity]

· A New Chapter in Book Borrowing [Torontoist]