Pop Up Libraries are meant to utilize public space, provide access to books, and encourage people to read at times and in places they may not have read before.

As you may have noticed, pay phones are becoming obsolete and even when pay phones exist, they rarely work!  Yet many times, the booth itself is still there taking up valuable public space in downtown areas.

Architect John Locke from the Department of Urban Betterment has risen to the challenge of utilizing these spots.  Locke thought that the booths looked like the frame of a book shelf and with some quick alterations, mini-libraries were created.  The shelves are custom made to fit over the existing phone infrastructure and do not need to be fastened or glued. Just as good, the phones are still accessible for those without a cell phone.

Not a bad way to get people reading, sharing and conversing in places they may not have previously.