Send us your photographs by email (post [at] papertrail.world). Include some information about the location and how you relate to it. We accept submissions from anywhere in the world!

Your submissions will feed into our ongoing research into the aesthetic and functional aspects of contemporary street library culture in the Netherlands and beyond. This research will serve as the basis for a forthcoming print publication.

Street libraries, or Minibiebs, as they are dubbed in Dutch, are a fascinating and often under-appreciated piece of urban technology. While some of them are built by schools, cultural institutions or even train station architects, the vast majority of Minibiebs are installed and maintained by individual volunteers.

Ranging from repurposed plastic crates or old pieces of furniture to elaborate, purpose built constructions, most Minibiebs are placed on public land. Owing to relatively generous spatial regulations, which tend to allow homeowners and tenants in most Dutch municipalities to make use of the space in front of their house, as long as it does not interfere with foot traffic, the hurdles for placing your own Minibieb are quite low.

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