Every book you set free is an act of courage. You don’t need permission, infrastructure, or a budget. Just a story you’re ready to send beyond where your sidewalk ends.

Here’s how it works:

“I set my worn copy of The Alchemist free on a train in Chicago. Three months later, someone logged a Sidewalk Reflection from Portland: ‘This found me at exactly the right moment.’ That’s the magic of stepping off the edge.” — Sarah M., Denver

Imagine your book club discussion doesn’t end when you close the book. Instead, every member sets their copy free into the world—creating a constellation of the same story, each traveling its own path beyond certainty.

Everyone reads the same title – Everyone writes a unique Sidewalk Reflection based on your group discussion – Everyone sets their copy free in a different location – You track them together and see whose travels farthest into the unknown.

Extends the life of your discussion beyond one meeting – Creates a shared adventure your club experiences together – Turns buying multiple copies into gifts to strangers – Gives meaning to books that would otherwise gather dust – Proves that stories live when they move.

Pre-printed BookCrossing labels for your group – Discussion guide with reflection prompts – Social media toolkit to share your releases – Certificate recognizing your club as an official Open Sidewalk partner.

Monthly book clubs looking for new traditions – Library reading groups wanting community impact – Workplace book clubs with a service angle – Virtual book clubs creating real-world connections.

Integrate The Open Sidewalk Project into your curriculum—turning reading comprehension into community engagement, writing assignments into Sidewalk Reflections, and book reports
into journeys students can track across cities.

Entire class reads the same book – each student sets a copy
free in their neighborhood – track collectively as the books travel – Map the journeys in geography or social studies – Write Sidewalk Reflections as language arts assignment.

Meets community service requirements – Teaches courage, trust, and generosity in action – Real-world impact students can measure – Stories they’ll remember long after the grade

Reading, writing, reflection, narrative

Geography, community, cultural exchange

Courage, trust, letting go, generosity

Data tracking, mapping, QR codes, technology

Educator toolkit with lesson plans – Bulk BookCrossing labels for
your class – Student-friendly registration instructions – Classroom tracking dashboard – Discussion guides aligned with learning standards – Recognition as an Education Partner school

Low cost (books can be donated or from school library weeding) – Multi-subject integration – Measurable outcomes (tracking data) – Students become advocates for literacy and community – Teaches values beyond curriculum (courage to let go, trust in strangers)

Elementary (3rd-5th): Simple releases with parent coordination – Middle School (6th-8th): Independent releases with reflection writing – High School (9th-12th): Service learning, data analysis, social impact

English/Language Arts teachers – Librarians coordinating with classrooms – Service learning coordinators – Character education programs – Alternative schools and
homeschool co-ops

You understand better than anyone: stories are meant to be shared. As an author, you’ve experienced the moment when your book finds the right reader. You know what happens when the sidewalk ends and imagination begins. The Open Sidewalk Project needs your voice.

Add a simple link to your author website. A single mention in your newsletter. A post on social media. You’re not selling anything—you’re pointing toward a movement that believes what you believe: that stories matter most when they travel.

Download “We Support OSP” Badge

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We’re developing a full Author Release Program where you can set 25-100 copies of your book free with tracking, build organic word-of-mouth across cities, and watch your story travel beyond where your own sidewalk ends.

Every year, public and academic libraries remove thousands of perfectly good books from circulation—books that still have life in them, stories that could still matter. Instead of discarding or selling them, set them free.

Set free books removed from circulation – Give discards a meaningful
second life – Track where they go instead of landfill/sale – Turn library deaccessioning into community gift.

Host “Set a Book Free” events – Coordinate group releases with
patrons – Partner with local Sidewalk Stations – Create displays promoting the movement – Offer “take and set free” stations in library.

Connect with local Sidewalk Librarians (volunteers) – Coordinate
with schools and educators – Partner with Little Free Libraries in your area – Support literacy initiatives through book freedom

Library partner toolkit – Bulk BookCrossing labels for weeded books –
Event planning guides – Promotional materials (posters, bookmarks, signage) – Recognition as Library Partner – Connection to local volunteer network

Weeded books often still have value—just not for your collection –
Instead of discard/donate limbo, books get tracked second lives – Libraries become champions of book freedom – Community sees library as connector, not just curator – Aligns with library mission (access, literacy, community)

Public library systems (branch-wide participation) – Academic libraries with regular weeding cycles – Special collections transitioning materials – Library outreach coordinators – Friends of the Library groups

“We were discarding 500 books a year. Now we set them free instead. Our community loves seeing where ‘their’ library books travel next. It’s transformed how people think about weeding.”

— Library Director, Portland Public Library

You’ve already built the infrastructure. You’re already setting books free into your community. The Open Sidewalk Project simply adds the ability to track their journeys and connect with a global movement

Continue operating your Little Free Library as usual – Seed it with
registered Sidewalk Project books – Display “Sidewalk Station” signage alongside LFL sign – Encourage visitors to log Sidewalk Reflections when they find registered books – Track which books travel beyond your library

Your LFL: Take a book, leave a book (local circulation) –
Sidewalk books: Take a book, read it, set it free elsewhere (broader travel) – Best of both: Some books stay local, some walk far

Little Free Library + Sidewalk Station

Connect to global tracking network.

Share book journeys with your community.

Share book journeys with your community.

Enhances what you’re already doing.

Sidewalk Station signage to add to your LFL – Starter set of registered
books – Instructions for visitors – Featured placement on our map – Connection to local Sidewalk Librarians – Social media promotion

Adds layer of meaning to existing work – Tracks impact
beyond your neighborhood – Connects your library to global movement – No additional maintenance required – Stories to share with neighbors – Potential to inspire more LFLs in area

“I built my Little Free Library to serve my block. Joining the Sidewalk Project means some books travel the world. I love that my neighbors can seed a journey that goes to
places they’ve never been.”

— Margaret T., Little Free Library Steward, Austin, TX

This adds zero burden and infinite possibilities.

Sidewalk Librarians are volunteers who act as curators, connectors, and champions for the movement in their neighborhoods. You’re not building infrastructure—you’re helping others
find the courage to step off the edge

You keep the connective tissue strong. You’re the person who notices when a book goes silent and seeds a new one. You turn individual acts of courage into a recognizable movement.

As much or as little as you want. Some Librarians set 2 books free per
month. Others coordinate city-wide releases quarterly. You define your role.

Official Sidewalk Librarian designation and toolkit – Access to private community forum and monthly calls – Pre-printed labels and promotional materials – First access to new author releases and special editions – Recognition on our interactive map – Coordination tools for working with local partners

Community organizers and neighborhood activists – Retired teachers and librarians – Bookstagrammers, BookTok’ers and literary influencers – Anyone who already says “you should read this”

A Sidewalk Station is an “in-between stop”—a zero-cost literary touchpoint where books rest briefly before continuing their journey. No construction. No commitment. Just a small shelf, basket, or corner where stories can pause between travelers.

A small designated space (shelf, basket, windowsill, counter corner) –
Permission for books to come and go freely – Optional: display our Sidewalk Station sign

Official Sidewalk Station signage and materials – Social media
promotion and listing on our map – Starter books to seed your location – Ongoing volunteer support from local Sidewalk Librarians – Connection to educators, librarians, and community partners who may seed your station

Coffee shops and cafés – Independent bookstores – Co-working spaces – Yoga studios and wellness centers – Barbershops and salons – Laundromats – Doctor’s offices and waiting rooms – Anywhere people gather and pause

Underway!

If your organization needs meaningful service projects, values community connection, or wants to make a visible impact—The Open Sidewalk Project offers a perfect group activity that’s low-cost, high-meaning, and trackable.

Girl Scouts / Boy Scouts (service hours) – 4-H Clubs – Youth groups at churches/temples/mosques – After-school programs – Summer camps

Rotary International – Lions Clubs – Kiwanis – Junior League – Volunteer
network

Neighborhood associations – Community centers – HOA groups –
Block clubs – Cultural centers

Coordinate 10-100 people setting books free simultaneously –
Create “release zones” across your community – Track collective impact together – Turn it into annual tradition

Members earn service hours – Youth learn about courage, trust, and
generosity – Measurable impact (trackable books) – Shareable stories for newsletters/social media

“Sponsor a book release” campaigns – Book drives that end in
freedom (not storage) – Community engagement that aligns with mission – Low-cost, highvisibility impac

Group coordinator toolkit – Bulk BookCrossing labels – Event planning
guides – Group tracking dashboard – Media templates for publicity – Recognition as Community Partner – Certificate of participation for members

“Our Girl Scout troop earned service hours by setting 50 books free across our town. The girls loved tracking where they went—one made it to California! It taught them that small acts can travel far.”

— Troop Leader, Denver, CO

Writers, publishers, and organizations can fund the courage it takes to set stories free—while building authentic community connection.

Fund a release of 50-500 books around a theme: – Mental health
awareness titles in May – Summer reading collections in June – Back-to- school releases in September – Holiday stories in December – Banned books celebrations

Sponsor kits that include: – 25 pre-registered books – BookCrossing labels and QR codes – Volunteer coordination support – Media amplification – Group tracking dashboard

Fund educator or library programs: – Classroom sets for teachers – Weeding transformation for libraries – Little Free Library starter kits – Community organization events

Activate an entire city with: – Multiple Sidewalk Stations – Dedicated
Sidewalk Librarians – Launch event coordination – 6-12 month commitment – Media partnership

Recognition on our website and social channels – Press release co-promotion – Community impact report – First-year data on books set free and tracked

Readers
Set books free anywhere

Book Clubs
Coordinate group releases

Authors
Amplify the movement

Sidewalk Librarians
Coordinate in your community

🎯 Founder Release Points
Be among the first walkers

🏫 Educators & Teachers
Integrate into curriculum

📚 Public Librarians
Give weeded books second lives

📬 Little Free Library Stewards
Hybrid stations

🤝 Community Organizations
Service projects and events

☕ Sidewalk Stations
Businesses hosting books

💰 Sponsors
Fund the movement