little free libraRY MAP OF PORT TOWNSEND

In the summer of 2024 I took it upon myself to create a comprehensive map of all the Little Free Libraries in my hometown of Port Townsend, Washington. I love Little Free Libraries and think they are a great way to connect with one’s neighbors and engage with one’s immediate community. I often see libraries that are either empty or overstuffed, and I find that they can stagnate easily or end up with a very limited selection of genres and materials. One hope I had for the map project was that if people knew where more libraries were in their area then they may make a point to visit them, and perhaps the circulation of books between libraries would be more consistent. My other main goal with the project was simply to have an opportunity to make a map. I love making maps but I am not often given the professional opportunity to work on them. So I figured I would create my own opportunity, so I could practice my map making and the skill of puzzling out how best to organize geographic information.

The Little Free Library nonprofit website has a map where library stewards can register their libraries, but most stewards never take that step. I knew there would be many libraries in Port Townsend that don’t appear on that official map, so I spent many days walking and driving nearly every inch of town to see what libraries I could find. In total I found 81 little free libraries or resources of different varieties, including traditional libraries, themed libraries, pantries, and more. Once the map was complete I scattered copies back through many of the libraries I had found during the course of the project.