The FSI team spotted these little "take a book, share a book" community libraries popping up around Springfield Central, and it sparked a conversation in the office: "Every single one of us has either taken or given a book to one of these this year."

That got us thinking — if this works so well in the wider community, how could we adapt it for our school libraries?

Start With Your Weeded Books

Most school libraries regularly weed perfectly good books. Instead of sending them to landfill or quietly giving them away, what if you started a small community library somewhere around your school — and invited families to do the same?

  • Use weeded books from your library collection as the founding stock
  • Invite families to bring in books from home: "If you're done with it, share it with someone else."
  • Place the box somewhere visible — near the school gate, the oval, or a community garden
Colourful community library box built by school students mounted in a park with books inside
A finished community library box — weatherproof, mounted, and ready for the neighbourhood.

Build It With Your Community

Here is where it gets genuinely exciting. Invite a local Men's Shed or community maker group in for one afternoon. Pair them with your students — especially your harder-to-reach kids — and build the box together using a step-by-step schematic as your guide.

The project becomes a real conversation about contribution, responsibility, and looking after a shared resource. The Men's Shed members bring the tools and expertise. The students bring the enthusiasm and the design brief. And at the end of the afternoon, something real exists in the world that didn't before.

Free from FSI: We've put together a ready-to-build schematic for a school-ready community library box — dimensions, materials list, and step-by-step instructions. Think of it like a Lego instruction sheet. Contact the FSI team to request your free copy.

Now Here's Where It Gets Powerful

Add a QR code to the inside panel of the box — one that opens your school library's SmartSuite Discovery Page directly. This is the auto-generated, always-current catalogue front page built into every FSI SmartSuite subscription.

When a student finishes a book, opens the community box, and scans the code:

  • They instantly see what else is available by that author or in that series — already on your shelves
  • They discover recommended read-alikes curated from your own collection
  • They can jump into related video content via TV4Education — author interviews, trailers, film adaptations, and curriculum-aligned clips from 180,000+ titles

That little box stops being a cute community project and becomes a student-built entry point into your entire library and digital collection.

Already on SmartSuite? Your Discovery Page is live right now. Print a QR code, attach it to your box, and you're done.

Not yet on SmartSuite? This is one of dozens of features your school is missing. Book a free demo and we'll show you the full picture.

Ready to Get Started?

If you are planning a weed this term, contact the FSI team for your free community library box schematic — dimensions, materials, and step-by-step build instructions. We would love to see what your school creates.