A street library is a simple idea: take a book and/or leave a book.

It’s a way for the community to share books, connect with fellow readers and give old books a new life. There’s something quietly lovely about stumbling across one on a morning walk: a painted wooden box, a mystery novel you didn’t know you needed, and the knowledge that someone nearby left it there for you.

The street library movement has been growing steadily, with not-for-profit organisation Street Library keeping a national register.

And Lane Cove? It turns out we’re pretty well stocked.

Lane Cove Council Street Libraries

There are more than you might think, spread across parks and quiet residential streets, each one a little different. What makes the Council-installed libraries especially special is that they’re not just plain wooden boxes. Local artists and community groups (including, beautifully, preschool children) have painted them into small works of art in their own right.

• Gwiyaala Aboriginal Art 2025 – 175 Longueville Road, Lane Cove
• Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright by Adam Long – Ludowici Reserve, Penrose Street, Lane Cove
• Other People’s Books by Ignacio Quereteja – 151 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove
• Diversity by Andre Braun – Kimberley Playground, 53 Kimberley Avenue, Lane Cove
• Tattle Tea by YoannaMachowska – Stringybark Creek Reserve, corner of Centennial Avenue and Elizabeth Parade, Lane Cove

  

• Wonderland by Natalie Tso and Birrahlee Preschool students – Birrahlee Reserve, Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove
• Bubble and Pop by Karri McPherson – Kindy Cove, Phoenix Street, Lane Cove
• ABC (Animal Book Club) by Amy Ge and Victoria Zhou – corner of Austin Street and Alpha Road, Lane Cove
• So Many People 2022 by Matt McLarty – Tantallon Oval Playground, Tantallon Oval, Lane Cove North
• Untitled by Anjali Abbey and Lane Cove Montessori Long Day Care students – corner of Gay Street and Roslyn Street, Lane Cove North
• Untitled by Isabelle Shepherd – Helen Street Reserve, 37 Helen Street, Lane Cove North
• Gwiyaala Aboriginal Art 2025 – 47 Tambourine Bay Rd, Riverview
• Soaring Thoughts by Maya Cheesman – Yorks Corner, 61 Tambourine Bay Road, Riverview
• Easy as ABC by Ignacio Quereteja – Lloyd Rees Park, Northwood Road, Northwood

Two of them, Wonderland and the one at Gay and Roslyn Streets, were painted by preschool and long day care students, which makes them especially worth seeking out. There’s something nice about a library decorated by the same kids who might one day be borrowing from it.

There is also a street library outside The Lane Cove Toy Library, and the volunteers there make sure it is packed with children’s books. They go quickly, so check early.

Each street library has a Custodian, a local hero who helps care for it and lets Lane Cove Council know if repairs are needed.

You can suggest a future location or become a local supporter who helps monitor the libraries by emailing [email protected]. Further information is available here.

Private Street Libraries in Lane Cove Council Area

And it’s not just Council. Locals have created their own as well, which says a lot about the suburb.

One of the most well-known is in Longueville, on the corner of Stewart and Dettmann Avenue. It was once nicknamed the “Tardis”, The Longueville Reading Time Machine. Find out more here.

There are more dotted around the area, in Greenwich, on quiet residential streets in Lane Cove North, and even outside a local childcare centre:

• 11 Marsh Place, Lane Cove North – find out more here
• Corner of Ford and Bent Street, Greenwich – find out more here
• 31 Morrice Street, Lane Cove – find out more here
• 31 Roslyn Street, Lane Cove North – find out more here
• 3 Chaplin Drive, Lane Cove West – find out more here
• Pottery Green Oval, 1 Phoenix Street – find out more here
• 478 Mowbray Road West, Lane Cove North – find out more here
• 708 Mowbray Road, Lane Cove North – find out more here

How Do I Start My Own Street Library?

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as putting a box of books on your fence with a sign saying FREE or HELP YOURSELF. ITC has done exactly that, and our postie loves it. He’s particularly fond of John Grisham novels, since you ask.

If you want to build something a bit more permanent, there are plans on the Street Library site here, or you can purchase a kit from the Street Library organisation here.

Once you’re up and running, you can register your library on the national interactive map and join what is, it turns out, a surprisingly large and lovely little movement.

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