If you thought libraries in telephone boxes and grocery stores were fun, just wait because we’re about to turn the page and travel even further. In this second part of our series, we will explore libraries that float, cross international borders, and even transport us into magical universes.
Grab your favourite bookmark and hop on board, the journey continues.
Epos, the book boat – Traveling Library within Norway
Operated as a floating library, Bokbåten – Swedish for ‘the book boat’ – delivers thousands of books twice a year to the remote islands of the Stockholm archipelago, visiting around 250 small communities. As these regions are difficult to reach by car, a group of librarians secured government funding in 1959 to refurbish two old boats before the Epos was specially built for the purpose in 1963 to serve as a library during the fall and winter months and as a tourist boat during the summer. With a library of around 6,000 books, the boat also hosts many cultural events on board and can accommodate up to 150 children at a time. A literal voyage of the book, bringing inspiration wherever the tide takes it.
Haskell Free Library and Opera House – Straddling the US-Canada Border
This unique library sits right on the US-Canada border, you could be reading in two countries at once! One building, two countries, one shared love of literature. Built more than 100 years ago, this library looks like any other Victorian-style building, but it hides its unique feature of having both a Canadian and an American address, with a line of black tape running from the library’s main lobby through the children’s reading room, marking the border. Where else can you borrow a book in one country and read it in another without leaving your seat?
Barter Books – Alnwick, UK
The historic English market town of Alnwick is home to one of the world’s coziest and largest second-hand bookshops. What makes it so special is its unique origin: Barter Books has been housed in the former Alnwick railway station since 1991, starting in what was the ticket office of the original station and expanding across the platforms and through the waiting rooms to take up a quarter of the entire station site. Covering over 8,000 sq ft, the bookshop includes an open fire in winter, a cafe, a model railway running above the book columns, spacious seating areas, children’s rooms, and more.
Fun fact: In 2000, the owner discovered a 1939 World War II “Keep Calm and Carry On”poster in a box of old books, which now hangs by the cash register and has attracted so much interest that the bookshop is considered a local tourist attraction.
Bonus: Flourish and Blotts – Diagon Alley, London, UK (Harry Potter World)
Not all unusual libraries are found in the real world, some of the most unique ones live in books themselves, like Flourish and Blotts. This library is the go-to bookshop for witches and wizards on their way to Hogwarts. Tucked away in Diagon Alley, this shop has seen it all – from flying books to famous author signings like Gilderoy Lockhart. Need a copy of the Monster Book of Monsters? Just be careful, it bites -literally-. Whether you’re after spell books, invisibility tomes (good luck finding them), or a new edition of Hogwarts, this is the kind of library/bookshop that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a magical universe and make some Muggles a little jealous.
The world of unconventional libraries is as vast and varied as the stories they hold, from floating libraries navigating remote islands to magical shops hidden within beloved books. Each one is a testament to creativity, connection, and the universal love of sharing knowledge, no matter the format or setting.
Next time you pass an old telephone box, colourful fridge, or quirky shed, stop and peek inside. You might just find your next favourite read. Remember, stories are always within reach, just waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected corners of the world.
Happy reading, wherever the shelves (or waves) take you.
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