Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who can run a Borrow Box?
Borrow Box Project selects from kids that have applied to become 'reader leaders'. We will look at a range of factors including age, parental support, and location. We will interview the candidates to see how motivated and commited they are to taking on the responsibility of running a Borrow Box.
Do I need to pay for a Borrow Box?
Borrow Box Project will provide a Borrow Box kit for $200, and we can assure you they cost far more than this to manufacture. The $200 covers the shipping and offsets some of the cost of manufacturing. There are a couple of reasons we ask for a financial contribution. Firstly, it is so that we know that our reader leaders are commited to the responsibility of running a library. Secondly, it helps the charity's funds go further. We would like to have as many Borrow Boxes across the country as we can.
How do I get books to put in the box?
Most reader leaders are already book lovers and want to do something to share that love of reading. If you're a book lover like us, you probably have lots of books you've read already but are now just collecting dust on your shelf. When Frances started her first Borrow Box, she put most of the books she no longer read from her collection in.
The great thing about the Borrow Box that makes it a central fixture in neighbourhoods is that we encourage people to donate their old kids books. So before long your small library will grow with titles donated by friends and neighbours. It's worth remembering that kids grow up and leave the nest so lots of houses on your street probably have lots of great books that are looking for a new place to be read. Books love to be read, you know that, right? Parents also love clearing out the kids old rooms to put in hobby rooms and home gyms.
Do the books really come back?
In our experience, yes they do, most of the time. Sometimes it takes a while, but it's okay if they don't though. The way we figure it is like this, If a book doesn't come back, it means it was loved so much it found a new home. So we haven't been sad about books disappearing from the catalogue.
More to come
More FAQs to follow. Website under construction.