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shared books in LFLs are constructions of the social members of a community (van
Dijk, 2018). In other words, this research seeks to
…[deal] with things that are both real and constructed, that are fuzzy realities
with complex properties, that have a holistic element whilst being constituted
by complex configurations, that are intersected with their environment with
boundaries being … the domain of intercommunication. (Byrne & Callaghan,
2014, p. 155)
We sought to analyze the texts found in one LFL in order to determine if there were
any changes over time in the ways community members engaged in shared texts
that were historical and/or concerned with social studies. Would the neighborhood
become more comfortable sharing social studies texts/issues with each other or
would reading behaviors be maintained over time? Also consider that shared books
reflect reading experiences that mirror the moral, practical, and social activities
(Schwab, 1969) of a community the same way a chosen curriculum might reflect the
moral, practical, and social activities of a school’s standards-designing body.

Methodology
Qualitative methodology was chosen for this project because qualitative research
seeks to understand the lived experiences of participants through the examination
of a section of life—in this instance, book exchanges in LFLs—and to use those
experiences to understand societal changes better. Phenomenology emphasizes
learning about people’s perceptions, actions, and the ways in which these collective
experiences are categorized into actionable life. Phenomenology also assists in the
understanding of how community members perceive, master, and interpret their
experiences as individuals and community members.

Data Collection
The LFL investigated in this study is in an area that is extremely diverse
culturally. For context: A public elementary school located three miles from the LFL
reports 29 languages spoken in the school; furthermore, a Hindu temple and three
churches (including one offering services in Mandarin) are within walking distance
of the LFL.
The data for this longitudinal study were collected by taking photographs of
the titles present in the LFL on the first Wednesday of each month for 2 years.
Data collection began in October 2021 and continued
through October 2023. At each data collection, the
books in the LFL structure were recorded through
photographs, and the number was counted. Next, the ...the intent of the [Little
numbers of books in the LFL structure were compared Free Library] movement is
from month to month to determine an approximate
volume of texts traded at the LFL location. This was to provide free access to
not a perfect method of data collection as it only
captured one day of each month, but it did allow for books in areas...in which
(see Figure). Additionally, we made an intentional there is limited access to...
the creation of records and trends charted over 2 years
decision to record the number of social-studies-themed books in general...
texts (history, geography, civics, economics, personal
finance, sociology, psychology) in three categories:
(a) overall general social studies texts, including a

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