Library Economy NYC

The Distributed Library is a way to network common tools and other items, so they can be collectively owned and shared by our community. Rather than building from a centralized library space, which (in our hyper-policed and hyper-commodified city) would be impossible for ordinary people to maintain, the notion of our “library” will extend to anywhere our items happen to live. To organize this distributed system, we are developing software which will allow members to interface with the library as a whole, request items, and coordinate exchanges around the neighborhood. Although we plan to start with items which are reusable, and often needed on a temporary basis (such as power tools, camping equipment, and small appliances), we envision a world where anything can be found and exchanged through an autonomous, neighbor-powered, completely free library system– from clothing, to furniture, to cleaning products, to homes and apartments. This complete “Library Economy” may seem far from our current reality, but we believe it to be utterly possible, and totally necessary. We invite you to join us, and discover it for yourself!