The Phone Booth street library in Hurlstone Park. Credit:Steven Siewert The tiny libraries might appear on front lawns, on beaches, in parks, outside offices or on the side of the road. Wherever they are, the aim is the same: to make books available to everyone, no matter how rich or poor, or where they live. Newly arrived refugees in western Sydney, disadvantaged girls in India, the homeless and those living in rural villages hundreds of kilometres away from bookshops are just some of those who are now able to experience the joy of reading. Street libraries are emerging all over the world, from Qatar to Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These grassroots initiatives can be much more than a box of books and a way of raising literary standards. In many places, they become community hubs – places where unexpected friendships bloom. Legge initially expected her impromptu library to be vandalised or stolen. "It was a bit of an experiment," she says. "It wasn't far from Taylor Square and several nightclubs, so I brought it inside the office every night at first to be safe." But within days, the neighbourhood had embraced it. Not only were the shelves completely re-stocked regularly with quality reads, some of the locals began taking a proprietorial pride in their library, sorting the books neatly into categories. Homeless men from shelters in Woolloomooloo, and those who sleep rough in the Royal Botanic Garden – unable to join a library because they have no forms of identity – began heading up the hill with small calico bags to borrow novels. Legge noticed strangers making conversation, asking each other what they were reading this week.

A street library in Paddington. Credit:Steven Siewert The book exchange has even given rise to a romance. A lovelorn young man was seen frantically ransacking the collection. The object of his affection had told him to look for a message hidden in one of the books. "All I can say is that he left the library a very happy man," Legge says. "He had a note in his hand and a big grin on his face." Last Christmas, borrowers left cards for Legge, and notes of thanks taped to the wall. "I've been really amazed by the respect and gratitude people seem to have for the library. It's made the block outside my office feel much more like a neighbourhood. It feels much more safe, welcoming and cared for," she says. A Leichhardt street library. Credit:Steven Siewert As Bol puts it: "We have a natural sense of wanting to be connected ... Little Free Libraries open the door to conversations we want to have with each other."

Newtown resident Nic Lowe, the mastermind behind the GoGet car sharing scheme, agrees. He recently set up the Street Library Australia organisation to help people establish their own pop-up book exchanges. He has been struck by the way they quickly become unofficial gathering points. A street library in Newtown. Credit:Steven Siewert People I've never met before now say hello ... all because of the books. Children's book illustrator Mary-Kate Khoo More than 250 people have registered with Street Library Australia for advice, tips and a support group through its Facebook page. Lowe set up the free service 18 months ago and his goal is to have 5000 members by 2020. He loves the chit-chat that drifts over his fence from his own street library on his front lawn in Newtown. "I heard these three teenagers on skateboards chatting outside the library yesterday," he says. "When I asked them what they were borrowing, one of them said, 'Oh we're just meeting someone here, hope you don't mind.'" The communal aspect of street libraries is particularly important in remote communities. Gena Domek lives in the village of Jerrys Plains near Singleton, 80 kilometres northwest of Newcastle. She set up a library at her local petrol station because she was tired of the two-hour drive to the nearest bookshop.

A street library in Erskineville. Credit:Steven Siewert The Singleton Men's Shed de-gassed an old refrigerator, stripped out its electrical wiring, put a Perspex window in the door and added more shelves. Domek keeps a list for book suggestions from the community. One boy wrote that he'd like to read Jeff Kinney's The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Domek made requests on the community's Facebook page, and the fridge library was filled with the series within days. Domek says she has met more people in her community since setting up the street library than she has in the 10 years she has lived there. "I've made friends with people from outlying areas as well," she says. "One of them commutes to Sydney and takes books for the train. I would never have met her otherwise." A street library in Redfern. Credit:Steven Siewert Lowe is often astonished by the creativity of the street librarians who register with him. He's seen libraries made from bird cages, billycarts wedged in gum trees, doll's houses and microwave ovens. Old cupboards, letterboxes and telephone booths have been converted into little libraries. In Berlin, a street library has been carved into the trunk of a tree. In Bhopal, India, a nine-year-old girl unable to afford a bookshelf or box opened a street library for the disadvantaged by stringing ropes against a wall and hanging books on them.

The street library with the fastest turnover in Sydney is outside the Australia Street Infants School in Newtown. It was painted by the children at the after-school care program. It's rare to walk past without finding someone helping themselves or filling it with the likes of Malcolm Gladwell's Freakonomics or Levitt and Dubner's The Tipping Point. Children stand on tip-toe to open the glass door, hoping for The Pencil of Doom or The Day My Bum Went Psycho by Andy Griffiths. Vikki Butler, the after-school care co-ordinator, says locals leave boxes of books at her door, knowing they will find new homes within hours – sometimes minutes – after being placed in the street library. "Kids love the free libraries because they don't have adults standing over them saying, 'I'm not buying you that,'" Lowe says. "They get to choose, because it's free. They get a rare, fleeting sense of power." Councils have taken to the movement too, aware that the pop-up libraries often point people in the direction of bricks-and-mortar libraries. Waverley Council has installed four street libraries, with three more planned. Librarian David Hay, who regularly re-stocks the painted boxes near Bondi Beach, leaves flyers with information about author talks and opening hours at Waverley library. "I met a Japanese tourist taking photos of the Little Free Library by Bondi Beach. She didn't have much English but she knew the word 'beautiful'." he says. Randwick City Council recently installed a free beach library at Coogee over summer. Lifeguards closed the book exchange every night after the flags were taken down. "It created a wonderful buzz," says the council's Joshua Hay. "A lot of people rediscovered the convenience of paperbacks – no glare from their iPads. No sand in their plugs."

Toowoomba single mother and children's book illustrator Mary-Kate Khoo says setting up a library on her front lawn has made everyone in her neighbourhood feel less alone. "I've got a neighbour who recently lost his wife of 30 years, and when I read about the street library movement, I thought, we really need something like this," she says. The whole street rallied together to build and install the library. Her neighbour now enjoys cups of tea on her verandah, discussing the latest books. "It makes me feel more secure, too," says Khoo. "People I've never met before now say hello over the fence when they're out walking the dogs and I'm watering the garden, all because of the books." Khoo recently put all her son's books in her street library and was thrilled to see 10-year-old Chris Mutamba from across the road, sitting on his front fence poring over the Geronimo Stilton illustrated classics. Mutamba's family has only recently arrived from Zimbabwe and his mother says he is doing much better at school since getting hooked on the books about a talking mouse. "His family has just moved two blocks away so I don't see him every day now," says Khoo, "but the other day he came up to my veranda and knocked on the door and asked if I had any more books. It just made my heart sing."

Street libraries around Australia NSW The Henson, Marrickville This community-minded pub on Illawarra Road earned points with the local parents when it set up a free library in the courtyard out the back. Parents may now get a chance to savour the pub's famous nasi goreng or smoked pork ribs for five minutes in peace thanks to the pop-up bookcase stacked with children's classics. The Phone Booth, Hurlstone Park

Commuters can borrow a fabulous read from the red telephone booth next to Hurlstone Park Station. The booth was built by the Canterbury Men's Shed and installed by Canterbury Council. At different times, it might have books by Margaret Atwood, Jo Nesbo or Ian Rankin. Pearl Beach Street Library This street library has been painted so prettily by local artist Pim Sarti that it has almost become a tourist attraction. Weekenders can browse a selection of comics, biographies, romances and history books in their bare feet after a surf. Australia Street Infants School, Newtown This little box enjoys what street librarians enviously call "high traffic". Most days there is a completely new selection to choose from, with anything from Paul Jennings, Andy Griffiths and J.K. Rowling disappearing faster than you can say sherbet lemon. "Every time I go past it, someone is putting a book inside or checking out the day's selection," says Nic Lowe of Street Library Australia. "New books appear in it every day just like magic."

Kylie's Book Exchange, Paddington This inner-city nook on Oxford Street has been a social hub for local book lovers for several years. "What are you reading this week?" has become a common greeting outside the library. The Green Living Centre, Newtown Environmental classics such as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring or Bea Johnson's Zero Waste Home, as well as books about worm farming and hybrid cars are likely to be found at this mobile hand-painted library, wheeled out the front of the sustainability education centre on King Street every morning. Koonawarra Community Centre

If you're a nature lover, this outdoor book box is the perfect spot. Wollongong City Library's outdoor reading initiative provides a garden area to enjoy a book. Inside the community centre is a shelf of donated books for readers of all ages. VIC Queen Street Library, Reservoir This house-shaped book box offers a selection of literary treats, along with homegrown eggs from the street librarian's backyard chooks. Books are free, but a $5 donation for eggs is appreciated. Coburg Station Books Fridge

This library has a wide range of books inside an old, abandoned refrigerator. A great spot for commuters to pick up a book before heading to the railway station. Warracknabeal Community Garden Library As well as a colourful street library, this country-town community garden has seasonal fruits and vegetables available for members or at the price of a donation. There is a variety of bakeries and coffee shops nearby. SA Flinders Park Kids Street Library

The perfect spot for an afternoon with the little ones. This colourful mushroom-shaped library is located at Grant Place Reserve playground. Children can run and play or enjoy a book outdoors. Gibson Street Book Exchange, Bowden This street library mixes fiction and non-fiction, and has its own Facebook page, where readers can offer donations, share good finds, and post literary critiques. QLD Hubert Bookhouse, Woolloongabba

This Brisbane library is run by book-loving architects who want to create a vibrant street life outside their office. The Access Place, Atherton This library inside a coffee shop aims to bring people together and build a sense of community. There's a free book exchange and a pantry for food donations to those in need. NT Dripstone Children's Centre, Brinkin

A colourful book box in Darwin decorated with native animals painted by local artist Marnie Jay. WA Ruby Street Little Free Library, North Perth There are children's reads, novels, recipe books and more in this cabinet of treasures. TAS

Book Book Books, South Hobart Made of recycled Tasmanian timber, this residential street library focuses on fiction for adults, plus the odd biography and non-fiction read. For more Australian street libraries see streetlibrary.org.au.