Evolve Housing has installed western Sydney’s first ever community housing Street Library in one of our resident blocks.

An event was held on 22 August with Evolve Housing staff joining residents and their children to officially launch the project and enjoy afternoon tea.

Residents embraced the Street Library idea, dressing up in costumes to coincide with Book Week 2018 and agreeing on a weekly date to meet for a reading session.

The project was inspired by the wisdom of one of the block’s residents, Lyn, who said to an Evolve staff member at a community event: “if you teach the kids to read, you give them the key to the kingdom.”

Lyn, a keen reader herself who gets through an incredible 12 books a week, was chosen as the librarian of the new Street Library, and gave a book reading for kids at the launch event.

A Street Library is a small book library that can be accessed by anyone within the community, and has been used successfully in Australia and internationally to promote community spirit and encourage reading.

Evolve Housing sourced their library from the leading organisation in Sydney, Street Library Org, and it was generously filled with books donated by Booktopia.

A survey was conducted at the launch event to get information on residents’ reading habits, and a follow-up will be undertaken in three months to assess the impact of the Street Library.

Evolve Housing plans to install more Street Libraries in its other resident blocks across Sydney in the future.