The Manager's report back on placing four little free libraries

As the United States confronts a host of challenges as they relate to race, racism, and the growing divide in this country, The MBK, Cambridge team has taken the proactive stance to leverage any real or perceived divide through a universal love, the love for reading. The Liberation Libraries program is an initiative to promote reading and literacy while building and strengthening an intergenerational racial and cultural toolkit for all members and visitors of the Cambridge community.

With an understanding that the libraries are being erected and will be installed under the backdrop of Covid-19, all books in the libraries will be donated to the community. In addition, we will host quarterly book discussions that will be topical ranging from joy to love to create a learning space for the members of our community. While the construction, packaging, and marketing of the materials will begin this fall, programming that is directly connected to the libraries speaker series and book discussions will start in earnest in Spring 2021.

Planning to-date:

On July 1, 2020, the Director of Libraries and her staff met with Tony Clark and Dr. Carolyn Hunter of My Brother’s Keeper (MBK Cambridge) to discuss the City Council’s June order calling for anti-racism mini libraries across the City. During this meeting, they discussed:

• Mission To provide the Cambridge community with the resources and the space to humanize the individuals, the stories, and the experiences of black and brown people. Liberation Libraries is committed to creating a space to foster and to lift intergenerational learning by and from the various people and stories that live amongst us.

• Curation and Procurement of Library Materials The Director of Libraries confirmed that the Library’s central role in this community-based project will be to collaborate on curating & procuring a list of books for Liberation Libraries and will also work to secure funding for books for the Liberation Libraries. For the first iteration, six books will be selected for the Liberation Libraries on the theme of Black Joy. The selection will span a range of ages—titles that will appeal to children, teens and adults. In the future, the group will also consider including books in foreign languages to accommodate non-English language speakers.

• Framework for Lending – Lend to Keep versus Lend to Return Participants evaluated the costs and benefits associated with “lending to keep” versus “lending to return” books from the liberation libraries. The group concluded that the lending to keep was safest option considering the public health emergency. Lend to keep will also leave patrons with a book that they can refer to or share as they please.

• Locations of Liberation Libraries Attendees discussed possible locations for Liberation Libraries. Libraries are to be placed in accessible locations, such as in the major squares in Cambridge. The Department of Public Works has been involved in planning and the Commission for Persons with Disabilities has been invited to participate in the discussion. Sites proposed include:

o Corner of Cherry Street and Eaton Street o Moses Youth Center o Corner of Wester Ave and Jay Street o Corner of Cedar Street and Rindge Ave Note: the group is also exploring possibility of installing a library next to CRLS.

• Restocking of Liberation Libraries Planners explored how the supply of books in Liberation Libraries will be replenished. Options floated included youth from the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program or the possibility of MBK Cambridge finding volunteers to replenish liberation libraries. MBK Cambridge is also in discussion with the Public Health Department about safety practices to restock libraries.

On September 18, 2020, another meeting to discuss the Liberation Libraries occurred. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Mayor’s Office, Cambridge Public Schools Department, MBK Cambridge and the Cambridge Public Library. The group discussed:

• Materials Funding The Director of Libraries confirmed that the Cambridge Public Library Foundation will provide $15,000 for the cost of books and other materials for the Liberation Libraries.

• Book Discussions Through a robust community centered process that lifts the diverse voices and stories of the community we will identify and create a curricula and a circle of teaching practice that is aligned with the selection of the books that will be placed and discussed in the liberation libraries. Community members and librarians who represent the racial, ethnic, language, socio-economic, age, sexual and gender diversity of the community will serve as the stewards of book selection and lead with community conversations regarding the selected works. We envision that the Mayor will lead one of these discussions.

• Library Construction and Additional Funding: o Cambridge-based carpenter, Kamala Harrington, will construct the libraries. o The Mayor’s and City Manager’s Offices will provide $10,000 to build and promote Liberation Libraries. Additionally, sub-committees have also met to plan this effort. The whole group agreed to meet again in late October or early November.