I ran into a couple guys building "Little Free Libraries". Then a local newspaper wrote an article about them. I followed up on the net and saw some very interesting little structures. Basically it is a big oversized birdhouse that houses a free lending library. People put them in their front yard and they are turning out to be quite popular. There is lots of stories about them on the net.
The guys who started it all are at This site gives the history and provides lots of info.
Some pictures of the little free libraries are at
They also sell some of these boxes as well. Kinda spendy. On a square foot basis, they are much more expensive than Swingman's chicken coops! I wonder how much Karl would charge for a custom, luxury little free library? LOL You can mount them like a mailbox. One of the guys I talked to was trying to get some boy scouts interested. They were building them for free. Materials came from scraps or were given to them for this project.
Now, I know that many HOA's have strict anti literacy regulations and would not allow them. But it is an interesting idea and would make a good project for somebody who wants to tackle something a little harder than a bread board. Any way I thought it was an interesting idea. If anybody does do something like this, please photograph it and share it with us. This allows anybody, regardless of shop or skill level, to become a "home builder". Or at least a little library builder. :)