Jayne Burns is a self-proclaimed meddler in Sebastopol, California — but a good one, dedicated to improving her community. For several years, she was the president of the board of Artstart, an arts apprenticeship experience for Sonoma County youth. Almost 10 years ago, the combination of her community spirit and artistic eye caused her to notice the ugly, plain and abandoned news racks on the streets of Sebastopol.
“My husband and I owned the local newspapers many years ago, so I know many of those in the business, including the chief operating officer of The Press Democrat, our regional daily newspaper. I asked him if I could paint the racks to make them look better. He thought it was a great idea. I worked with teens at Artstart on this project, and we won a community award,” Burns said.
Burns didn’t just want to paint the racks but, as they became obsolete, give them a new life as free little libraries, working on the principle that you take a book and replace it with another.
The first was inspired by an abandoned rack outside the gym where Burns is a member. One day, she inserted fifty cents, and when the cover opened, she saw an empty rack. Burns asked one of the weightlifters at the gym to put it in her car. Although the newspaper had closed three years earlier, she still contacted the former owner to obtain permission.
“It seems everyone loves it, and it curates itself. Occasionally, I peek in, remove the duds and add some new books,” Burns said.
The second news rack was repainted and placed at the entrance to Community Market, a locally owned natural food store. Burns painted it with a fruit-and-vegetable design. To refurbish the permanent news rack in the top photo, she worked onsite with her box of tools, spray paint and stencils.
Burns said she is converting three more news racks into little libraries. “Someone suggested a children’s little library, so I contacted our local toy store. It has a wonderful location. The back of the store faces our town plaza. Instead of painting it [myself], I asked the store owner if someone on the staff might be interested. One of the girls had just won the prize for a poster for our local annual parade and festival. She is painting the news rack with an Alice in Wonderland/fairyland-fantasy theme,” Burns said.
Burns hopes this article will inspire E&P readers to adopt this idea in their communities. She suggests a newspaper, with unused racks, could promote a contest among local artists to design them and thereby promote the newspaper.
“A QR code or a promotional message could be added to drive subscriptions. It’s also a feel-good idea for the community and encourages literacy and public art. Newspapers could also involve their advertisers to sponsor a rack, include their logos and contact information, and place it in front of their businesses,” Burns added.
Burns welcomes any news media owners/publishers to contact her for more information about how to convert old news racks into little libraries in their communities. Her email address is jadebyrdz@comcast.net.
Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010. He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.
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