Hey there,

It feels surreal to be saying this but… we have finally reached the point where you can officially sign up to be a bookshelf-owner at Casual Poet Library!

It’s been the craziest ride since I wrote that fateful post on Instagram. When I published that post, I thought maybe 10 people would be tentatively on board. After all we live in pragmatic Singapore, where dreams are squashed every day. But I received 300 enthusiastic, heartfelt, passionate DMs from people telling me they’re seriously interested in paying a small amount of money to rent a bookshelf and create a shared library together. I spent a week replying messages, sometimes with tears in my eyes haha.

But I found myself in a chicken-and-egg situation. Even though these 300 people loved the idea of building a shared library in the heartlands together, I didn’t feel like people would be comfortable handing money over to a stranger based on some IG posts. Yes, I know fundraising campaigns like those on Kickstarter work like that - people give money to people over the internet based on some loose promises all the time. But I didn’t want to do it that way.

I guess I took a leap of faith by signing a lease without getting a single dollar from any of the potential bookshelf-owners.

I took this leap of faith also because I feel like our shared library - as simple and idealistic and naive a project it might be - is something that really needs to exist in the world right now. In these fractured times, I think people are deeply hungry for connection and warmth, and I sense that our humble little shared library might fill some of that need. In signing the lease I guess I made it real and now the universe has to bend to our will.

Anyhow. If we pull this off, I think we can quite proudly call this a collective labor of love, a quiet rebellion against mindless and boring capitalism, AND a brave act of imagination.

Thank you for powering this dream together. Casual Poet Library can only be described as a group effort of pure will and passion. It’s not something I can do alone (and it wouldn’t be half as fun to do it alone).

I have prepared a list of FAQs below to answer all or most of your questions before you register to be a bookshelf-owner and reserve a shelf.

If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to email me at hello[at]casualpoetlibrary.com or drop me a DM on Instagram.

If you are ready to register as a bookshelf-owner (I know some of you were ready two weeks ago haha!), click here.

Let’s make this happen.

Love,
Rebecca

FAQs for bookshelf-owners

What is the Casual Poet Library?

Casual Poet Library is a shared library in the heartlands of Singapore run entirely by individuals in the community. Each individual pays a small amount of money every month to be a bookshelf-owner. On each shelf, bookshelf-owners share about themselves and their book recommendations via little note cards, and tend to their shelves like they are tending to a (book) garden. The library is open to everyone and all books are for people to browse and borrow.

The shared library will also be a space for coffee pop-ups, book clubs, painting classes, journaling workshops, community sharing sessions etc. It’s a space fertile for whatever can be shared, built and dreamed up by our community.

What does Casual Poet Library care about?

We want to create a place where people can come and rest, relax, read, find inspiration, have the stress melt off their backs, be less invisible and connect with each other. We also want to show that there are always possibilities in life - that there are always new ways of living and thinking and new ways of breaking the rules in Singapore, this pragmatic and practical island we lovingly call home.

Casual Poet Library isn’t about making profit, but about staying open, accessible and sustainable with the help of the local community.

We are also looking forward to building a shared library together that is run in the spirit of ease, openness, trust and respect.

Why open a shared library in the heartlands?

We love the heartlands because they don’t make them like they used to! We love all the little shops and businesses — the rattan furniture stores, the bakeries, the old-school stationery shops; the trees that uncles and aunties sit under to chill and hang with each other; people walking around in slippers and FBTs to grab a hawker lunch or buy groceries — these small moments of life in the heartlands are made possible by the very architecture and structure of our older neighbourhoods, and we deeply cherish them. 

What are the costs involved in being a bookshelf-owner?

Bookshelf-owners pay to rent a bookshelf for SGD$45/month (about the cost of one cafe meal these days) with a one-time admin fee of $25. This is for a one-year lease, which comes up to a lump sum of $565.

There are also options for a six-month lease ($49/month) or a two-year lease ($43/month).

You won’t have to pay the admin fee again when you next renew your lease.

The lease is for a minimum of six months and we don’t offer monthly payments so that we can keep the administrative side of things as clean and simple as possible and keep costs down.

What does the revenue from shelf rental pay for?

This is a completely self-funded project from the get-go. The income we get from renting out the shelves goes to paying our shop rental, utilities, town council fees, a part-timer who handles all the admin-related tasks — these come up to about SGD$5,000 a month. Our renovation fees + startup costs are estimated to be about $25,000 to $30,000.

What is the size of each shelf?

Each shelf is about 45cm (w) x 30cm (h) x 35cm (d), which can hold 10 to 20 books per shelf, depending on the size of the books.

Can I run more than one shelf?

Yes you can run multiple shelves. You can also share a shelf with a friend!

What kind of books can I share on my bookshelf?

All genres — novels, graphic novels, children’s books, thrillers and murder mysteries, non-fiction, artist’s zines, art and crafts etc — in all languages are welcome. There will not be enforced curation. Please come and share you with us.

Can I sell some of my books or items?

Bookshelf-owners will have the option to sell some of their items. You can price the book/item you want to sell and print out your own QR code and place it at your shelf (we can help if you don’t know how to do that). When people want to buy your book/item, they can simply scan the QR code and pay directly to you. We won’t take a cut.

Do I have to be a Singaporean to be a bookshelf-owner?

You don’t have to be a Singaporean or to be in Singapore to run a bookshelf. You can simply send a box of books over! Easy =)

How are the bookshelves assigned?

All shelves will be assigned randomly. No shelf is better or worse in our shared library ❤️

Can I change up the books on my shelf whenever I want?

Of course! It’s your shelf, you can do whatever you want with it. You could choose to change the books up monthly, you could keep it the same for a year, you could display only one book, or multiples of one book. You could switch genres. It’s up to you. Have fun!

What are the other aspects of being a bookshelf-owner?

As part of the community, you can be as involved as you want, from helping to keep the library open by volunteering as a librarian, coming up with ideas for activities that can be done in the library, helping to manage aspects of running the library, to helping to keep the library clean.

Or you can simply run your own shelf and do nothing else! No obligations.

For a small and affordable fee, bookshelf-owners are also welcome to use the space to organise and run your own community events revolving around things you care deeply about.

How will my books be taken care of? What if a library member loses my book?

For concerns about books being damaged or lost, bookshelf-owners will have to be on board with the idea that this is a community borrowing library, so some wear and tear is likely to happen. Books that are too precious and cannot be subjected to any wear and tear or slight damage at all might not be suitable for our shared library.

As for lost books, we will create a policy for library members to pay the cost of the lost book back to the bookshelf-owner.

Other than that, we track book circulation using a digital catalog management system, which allows us to see which books have been checked out and who they have been lent to, and send return reminders etc.

How does the library borrowing system work?

Library patrons pay an annual fee of SGD$25 to become a library member. They can borrow up to five books per visit.

There are no late fees but library patrons are encouraged to return their books within a month so that others can continue to share the books.

Do bookshelf-owners have to pay to borrow books?

No. Bookshelf-owners partly “own” the library, so they don’t have to pay to be a library member. They can borrow books at no extra cost.

Can I sign up to be a bookshelf-owner later?

You can join as a bookshelf-owner anytime, but as our shelves are limited (due to limited space), if the shelves run out during this launch, we will put you on a waitlist and notify you when a shelf frees up.

How does the shared library stay financially viable?

The shared library stays financially viable thanks to the bookshelf-owners who pay a small amount of money every month. This helps to pay the rent and keep the library open. It would not be possible otherwise to run a library like this.

Are refunds possible?

In order for the shared library to stay viable and sustainable, it will be difficult for us to offer refunds. However, if you have found yourself in a dire financial situation, we would be happy to help on a case-by-case basis.

When will my lease begin?

If you sign up to be a bookshelf-owner during this launch, your lease will start on 1 July 2024 and end 1 July 2025. This will be the start of the lease date unless our opening is delayed because of unforeseen circumstances. Fingers crossed!

What happens when my lease ends?

We will contact you two months before your lease ends to see if you want to continue. You can either stop or continue at the same rental rate as before.

What are the library’s opening hours?

Preferably we'd like to have enough volunteer librarians who can keep the shared library open 7 days a week. We also want to experiment with turning into a midnight library or opening really early on some days. We will be setting up a public Google Calendar for visitors to check our opening hours, which will depend on the availability of our volunteer librarians.

How big is the shared library?

Our space is about 450sf. With the shelves and tables in, we will probably have space to hold events for about 20 pax indoors. If we remove the furniture, we might be able to fit a few more people.