BookShare
Sign Up
The statements and opinions on this page are solely those of its authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of CouchSurfing International.

Ever read a book that you thought would make the world a better place if more people read it? Do you own a copy of that book? Well, if you really love something, set it free. Register your book here and the next person that visits you that you mention the book to, just let them have it and tell them to pass it on. Has someone ever visited you and you mention 1984 while explaining the US political system only to find that they haven't read it? Just hand them a copy and if you really want another copy go to the library, steal one or buy another one. Have an awesome book? Set it free.

Contents

How does it work?

  1. Take a book that you love and that you want to share with others
  2. Print, cut and paste or simply write in the label below to the back cover of your book
  3. Register you book in the book list below with a random 4-letter code
  4. Next time someone visits you who you think would enjoy the book, just let them have it, tell them to register on the book list, and tell them to pass it along.

The Label

This book has been generously donated to:

BookSurfing International

Book ID : _____

Log on and register yourself with the book at:

wiki.couchsurfing.com/en/BookShare

When you are finished reading, simply pass the book on

Book List

A complete list of books being shared each followed by a list of persons to whom the book has been given. see Recommended Reading

One Hundred Years of Solitude

by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
100 yrs of Solitude on shelf

Book ID : SDXO

Readers:

  1. James Smith October 02, 2006 Joelton, TN United States
  2. NAME DATE LOCATION


Traveling Memo Book

Book ID : BNIP

Readers:

  1. James Smith October 02, 2006 Joelton, TN United States
  2. NAME DATE LOCATION


Ficciones

by Jorge Luis Borges

Book ID : JLBF

Readers:

  1. David Vecchio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Future Form and Function

  • In the event of any name or location change for this BookShare project, users replace old labels in back cover with updated ones. For this end use a glue that will allow labels to be removed without destroying book
  • Labels should be available as PDF files in several different languages, books being labeled in the language in which they are written.
  • Database driven site providing searchability by place, book, or user and making registering you and your book a little easier
  • integration with CouchSurfing.com system, where books show up in users profiles
    • It has been suggested that Books could have their own type of profile where people leave comments and a travelogue for the book is kept showing a map of the books travels.

Discussion

A variety of names have been proposed and for clarity's sake its useful to narrow it down to one. Feel free to add name proposals as well.

  1. CouchSurfing Public Library
  2. Wandering Library of Contextual Coincidence
  3. Universal Book-share Project
  4. BookSurfing International
  5. BookShare

Do not hesitate to take souvenir pictures of the book from time to time and post them to the wiki. For example you may want to take the book to the Eiffel tower or the Grand Canyon, or perhaps to see the tomb of its author.

BookCrossing

Another project called BookCrossing already does something quite similar to the CS BookShare project. But after discussion a few of us felt BookShare would be interesting and unique enough to merit exploring the idea.

article history edit