Local bookshops with character, public libraries to browse, and bookcrossing cabinets for spontaneous swaps — all on one map.
This map combines three ways to find books: independent bookshops (often with curated selection, used-book sections, readings, and personal recommendations), public libraries (huge catalog, free or near-free with a library card, including e-book loans), and public bookcases / Little Free Libraries (free to take and leave, no account, no fee). Public bookcases often start as volunteer initiatives in repurposed phone booths or display cases — a beautiful mix of community, recycling, and reading. The popup shows opening hours, website, and (for bookcases) capacity.
Locations come from OpenStreetMap, loaded live via the Overpass API. Tags used: shop=books (bookshops, including used-book stores with second_hand=only), amenity=library (public and university libraries), and amenity=public_bookcase (Little Free Libraries / public bookcases). OSM is a volunteer-maintained world map — you can add a new bookcase in your neighborhood yourself: openstreetmap.org → account → "iD" editor → click the spot → set the tag → save. The location appears here within minutes.
A free neighborhood book exchange: anyone can take or leave books at any time, free of charge, no registration. Often built into repurposed phone booths, old display cases, or custom wooden cabinets. Initiatives like "Little Free Library" (USA, 175,000+ worldwide) coordinate the idea, but many are purely local. Open 24/7 — usually with a weather-protecting door.
Three simple rules: (1) Give and take — only taking books hurts the system. 1:1 is the ideal. (2) Quality in — books in good condition, not soiled, no spam like old phone books. (3) Mind the content — no politically extreme or purely commercial material. The official BookCrossing.com movement (since 2001) lets you tag books with an ID sticker and follow their journey.
Reading on-site and using the library is free everywhere. Borrowing requires a card in most countries: usually $0-25/year, free for under-18s in many cities. In the US and UK city libraries are usually completely free. Late returns incur small fines (often $0.50/week per book). University libraries are free for enrolled students.
A growing movement: libraries that lend tools (drills, torque wrenches), toys, sports gear, kitchen gadgets (ice cream maker, juicer), even musical instruments — not just books. Idea: what you only need a few times a year doesn't need to be owned. On this map they're tagged library — check the popup for tags like service:tools, service:games. Examples: "Library of Things" (UK), "Bibliotheek van Dingen" (NL), "Leila" (Berlin).
This map runs entirely in your browser. Your location is never sent to our servers — it's only used to center the map. Map data comes from OpenStreetMap.
All points come from OpenStreetMap and are fetched live via the Overpass API. Something missing or wrong? Anyone can fix it directly on OpenStreetMap — the map will reflect the change shortly after.
Bookshops, public libraries and small street bookcases share one trait: they tend to disappear into a city's background. Google Maps shows the big central library, but the little bookcase in a side street or the indie second-hand store hidden in a courtyard rarely shows up in a regular search. The book-lover map closes exactly that gap: it aggregates three OSM data classes into one view and makes a city's literary ecosystem visible — from the university library to the volunteer-maintained swap cabinet.
Public bookcases are a beautiful example of what makes OSM special. In Germany and Austria there are several thousand of these public bookcases or "Little Free Libraries". Volunteers map them with amenity=public_bookcase, often including capacity, material (wooden construction, repurposed phone box, converted cabinet) and operator. Commercial maps rarely surface them — we do, because OSM does not curate but accepts everything a community finds relevant.
Bookshops live behind shop=books, with refinements like books=antiquarian, books=second_hand or topical tags like books:topic=comic. Libraries are tagged amenity=library; library:type separates public, academic and special libraries. Planning a reading trip — e.g. indie bookstores in Leipzig around the book fair or in Frankfurt for the Buchmesse — this map gives you an overview that would otherwise require digging through several catalogues.
We read the following tags from OSM. Authoritative definitions live in the OSM Wiki.
amenity=library — Public, university or special library.shop=books — Bookshop focused on new books.amenity=public_bookcase — Public bookcase "take one, leave one".library:type=public|academic|special — Library type — important for students and researchers.books=antiquarian|second_hand|new — Stock focus: new, second-hand or antiquarian.capacity + opening_hours — Compartments/volume and opening hours — key for a quick stop.Common ways people use the map:
Data comes directly from OpenStreetMap and is published under the Open Database License (ODbL). We pull it fresh from the Overpass API every time you move the map, so you always see the latest state. OSM edits typically reach Overpass within minutes. If you notice a bookcase that no longer exists or a newly opened indie shop, you can change it directly on openstreetmap.org. Handy apps for quick corrections are StreetComplete and Every Door.
Whatever is missing from OSM is missing here too. Bookshops tagged only as generic shop=convenience or untagged at all will not appear. Public bookcase coverage varies a lot: Berlin and Hamburg list hundreds, rural areas often almost none. Currency also depends on the local community — a closed swap-cabinet may stay flagged as active for months until someone sets disused:amenity. If you spot an important bookshop or a lively cabinet that is missing, please add it. Book communities grow with every contribution.
opening_hours, website, phone. Deeper info about reading rooms, Wi-Fi, sockets or kids' areas typically lives on the library's website or directly on the OSM detail page when you click a marker — and you are welcome to enrich the map with new tags.