The front lawn is not the first place most people would think to go if they needed a new book.
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That has not stopped Robyn Cunnington from setting up a lending library for passers-by outside her Garsed St home.
“It was a way to get rid of a lot of my books, it was a way of sharing that wonderful love of reading,” she said.
“I mean, we have got a wonderful library but to be honest we can’t always get there. It’s not as convenient in that you’ve got to make the effort to go. If you are like me you’ll forget to take your books back.”
Ms Cunnington has been lending books to neighbours for the past few weeks. People are encouraged to take a book from an old filing cabinet she rescued from a scrapyard.
“If you have an excess of something then you share it. That’s how I was brought up in a small community,” she said.
“If we’ve got extra plants we share them. If we’ve got extra veggies we share them. I mean, I think my whole garden has been contributed to by the street, family and friends.
“I do the same thing (for them).”
Tapping in to a global movement
Ms Cunnington first came across neighbourhood lending libraries on Facebook.
“The first post I saw was from the UK, so (the movement) must have started there or in Europe,” Ms Cunnington said.
Ms Cunnington hoped the library would prove popular. She suspected some passers-by were not entirely sure how to take the idea.
“People are a bit skeptical at the moment. They look at it and think ‘hmmm, free book? That can’t be right’,” she said.
“But one of the sites I looked at said their UK library took a long time to take off. There were a few people using it and suddenly it just blossomed.”
Weekend reading sorted
Currently the library holds about 20 books, with Ms Cunnington ready to stock up with more if demand increased.
“Neighbours have spread the word. I’ve seen a few people stop and have a look. Some will take one and some will say they will come back when they have one to share,” she said.
“I’m hoping this will grow. Hopefully it will take off and there will be one around the corner in every Bendigo suburb.”
For those thinking of borrowing a book this weekend, current offerings were dominated by thrillers, murder mysteries and romances.
The library can be found outside 63 Garsed Street, Bendigo.