Considering Brooklyn has seen an explosion of DIY spirit in the last ten years, it wasn’t shocking to see library boxes popping up in communities that got hit by Sandy. But who says you need to have a devastating weather event to have a group of people start their own library? Not the two people behind Mellow Pages, a new reading room and library in Bushwick. They officially open tonight, and to celebrate, they’re having a party.Mellow Pages was put together by Jacob Perkins and Matt Nelson, two friends living in Brooklyn. The idea is pretty simple: they’ve collected over 500 books, either of their own or through donations, and got themselves a room in a loft at 56 Bogart Street. Instead of just piling the books there to collect dust, they’ve cataloged them on Goodreads and hung them up artfully on the walls. The collection has poetry anthologies, zines, literary magazines and books, and they’re always looking to expand the collection. This isn’t their own private reading room either. Members of the public are welcome to stop by and flip through a book while sipping coffee. You can also become a member of the library for a year with a $20 donation, which will allow you to borrow books and get you coffee whenever you stop in.
But about that party. Everyone knows the only thing the highly literate like more than hearing words is drinking. Or at least that’s our experience. The Mellow Pages guys seem to know that too, because tonight at 7, they’ll be opening their doors to welcome to the public, along with readings by “beautiful women and handsome men” (their words) and of course, beer. So finally, we have a library we can drink in without the people at the reference desk giving us the stink eye.