For book lovers dismayed at the disintegration of a reading culture, however, there is no going gently into that dark night. All it takes to start a library, people are discovering, is a few books, shelves, and a belief that reading and sharing books is a profoundly powerful experience for many people.

One of those new spaces is Ourshelves, a San Francisco lending library open to everyone, no matter how little they can pay, or where they live, says Kristina Kearns, its bibliophile founder. “I wanted to create a space where everyone was welcome, and there was no one who would not be able to afford it,” she says about Ourshelves, housed in a tiny room at the back of an antiques shop, Viracocha, in the San Francisco’s Mission district. “Anyone can engage with books, however they would like.” via Citizen Libraries Are The New Home For The Printed Word | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation.