The Libraries That Took Over Our Stories (and Our Hearts)

We spotlighted six incredible libraries this July—here's everything you need to know about our campaign to celebrate the spaces that make community possible.

Hello hello! I'm Jazmyn, the Programs Manager for SBC––and we are on a mission this summer to celebrate one of the greatest third spaces we have. All July long, we handed our Instagram Stories over to six incredible library chapters from around the world for our very first Library Summer Campaign, and they absolutely blew us away.

All July long, Silent Book Club handed our Instagram Stories over to six incredible library chapters from around the world as a part of our very first Library Summer Campaign. The goal was simple: pull back the curtain on everything your library actually offers and remind people that libraries have always been it! In an increasingly disconnected landscape, we had just to make sure everyone was reminded of this. 

And if this month taught us anything, it’s that we were right––and then some! 

Every single takeover blew us away. Check out each takeover here. The personal flair, the passion, the programming, the people. We learned something new from every library, and more than once I caught myself thinking: I need to check what my local libraries offer. Mission accomplished! 

Here’s a look at each of the incredible libraries that made Library Summer what it was––and a reminder that every single one of these chapters hosts a Silent Book Club meetup! 

Florence County Library | Florence, South Carolina

The Quiet Chapter SBC | Mikaela & Leah 

Florence County Library came in with heart, warmth, and a whole lot of community love. Did you know they have a seed library? They also have a bookmobile serving the wider county, a South Carolina Room that doubles as a genealogy resource, and a Cookbook Club that takes members on a culinary journey through different regions every month, complete with a potluck. The theme for the year guides the whole experience, and the conversations around the table are just as rich as the food. But what Florence loved sharing most? The people. Their team, they told us, is everything, and we love how it showed in every story they shared. 

Ingeborg-Drewitz-Bibliothek — Berlin, Germany

SBC Berlin-Steglitz | Franziska & Maria 

Berlin came through with pure magic and we are still not over it. The Ingeborg-Drewitz-Bibliothek has a garden area, a cozy café serving coffee, cake, and treats, and a music section where you can borrow instruments for up to four weeks at a time—their instrument of the year is the accordion! They have a dedicated adult workspace, a chill out corner in the teen section, and a mobile library. But some of our favorite things? The "Plauderbank”, a meeting bench designed specifically to reduce loneliness and spark casual conversation among strangers. A monthly "Sing with Roland" singalong. And "Wollfühlen”, a weekly Wednesday knitting gathering. This library is a whole community in itself.

Ecorse Public Library | Ecorse, Michigan

SBC Ecorse Public Library | Kaila 

Ecorse showed us that a small community library can have an enormous heart. Their takeover introduced us to DIA Inside Out—beautiful reproductions of fine artwork displayed throughout the library—and a board game and video game collection you can check out and take home. They have live music at the library (shoutout to the Gratitude Steel Band!), and an arts and crafts club where you can learn to quilt. Learning, connecting, growing, just like Kaila said. Ecorse Public Library is proof that a library can be a full cultural experience.

Memphis Public Library, Cossitt Library | Memphis, Tennessee

SBC Memphis Public Library | Deja 

Deja and the Cossitt Library brought history, community, and so much soul to Library Summer. Cossitt Library is the first public library ever established in Memphis, Tennessee and the first to be desegregated, following a historic sit-in by Lemoyne-Owen College students in 1960. That history is honored and alive in everything they do. This summer they hosted a ULI Memphis x City of Memphis Housing Workshop, a fashion experience, a speakers academy, and painting workshops at the river for all ages. Oh, and the library is filled with plants. 🌿 Fun fact: the Cossitt Library even got a shoutout in Meet Me at the Library by Shamichael Hallman. Icons only!

Garland Central Library | Garland, Texas

SBC Garland Central Library After Hours | Daphne 

Garland Central Library is stunning—colorful, vibrant, and full of life—and their takeover matched every bit of that energy. They have a local author collection, a teen area, a children's area, a genealogy and local history section, a podcast and recording studio, and a CIY Zine Lab. They host a Sumi-e Japanese ink wash painting workshop and have a Library of Things where you can check out, among other things, a cake mold in the shape of a superstar shoe. Yes, seriously! But one of our absolute favorite moments of the entire campaign came from Robert, a library patron and book club enthusiast, who said it best: "If I told ten year old me that you get to go to the library, be locked in after hours, and read books for a couple of hours and then talk about them, I wouldn't have believed it. That sounds amazing." Robert, we agree!

DeKalb Public Library — Northlake-Barbara Loar Library | Tucker, Georgia

SBC Northlake-Barbara Loar Library | Sarah 

Sarah and the Northlake-Barbara Loar Library wrapped up Library Summer with so much warmth and so many surprises. They have puzzle tables, an outdoor area used for programs and concerts, a cookbook club, reptile shows, and museum and local park passes you can check out. You can check out jewelry kits, and they have a YouTube channel to walk you through how to make your own pieces. A library that teaches you to make jewelry and then lets you borrow the kit to do it at home? That’s a library that gets it! Welcoming, free, non-judgmental, exactly as Sarah described.

What We Learned This Library Summer

Libraries have always been community anchors. They have always been more than books. And they have always shown up––for the kids, yes, but also for the adults who need a place to record a podcast, borrow an accordion, knit with neighbors, learn to quilt, study their genealogy, or just sit in a room full of people who love to read.

If this month inspired you to look up what your own local library offers, yes! That was the whole point! 

And if you don't have a library card yet, it's not too late. It's free, yours, and unlocks a world waiting on your creativity and inclusion! 

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👉 Find every chapter's story takeover here!

👉 Find a Silent Book Club library chapter near you: Chapter Map

👉 Interested in starting a Silent Book Club chapter at your library? Here's how.