“Wash & Learn”: Creating Pop-Up Learning Spaces in Laundromats in the Bronx

Libraries Without Borders (BSF) has partnered with The DreamYard Project and the LaundryCares Foundation to launch “Wash & Learn," a summer learning program that creates pop-up library spaces inside laundromats throughout the Bronx. The "Wash & Learn" program transforms laundromats into informal learning spaces where local residents can access high-quality literacy and professional development materials [...]

Wash and Learn Initiative (WALI)

Surmounting Barriers to Learning Laundromats provide an ideal space to engage with low-income families. Clients return weekly and wait an average of 90 minutes for their clothes to wash and dry. Laundromats are open almost 24/7, providing a space to learn even after the library has closed. To date, LWB has worked in partnership with  […]

From Libraries to Laundromats: Learning in Non-Traditional Spaces in Detroit

Libraries Without Borders (BSF) has launched “Wash & Learn,” a summer learning program that creates pop-up library spaces in laundromats throughout Detroit. In partnership with the Knight Foundation, the United Way of Southeast Michigan, Brilliant Detroit, the Parkman Branch of the Detroit Public Library, the Mayor’s Office of the City of Detroit, and the LaundryCares [...]

“We grieve the death of George Floyd” : open letter from Libraries Without Borders

Following the death of George Floyd and recent protests about racism across the United States, Adam Echelman, director of Libraries Without Borders, and Patrick Weil, president and founder of Libraries Without Borders, wrote this short text on the essential role of access to information and education as a cornerstone of democracy.   "At Libraries Without [...]

IF LAUNDROMATS WERE BECOMING CULTURAL PLACES ?

This is already the case in the United States, where we created the Wash & Learn program in 2016 and transformed several laundries across the country into libraries. This initiative gives people in disadvantaged neighborhoods access to books, laptops and digital tablets while they wait for their laundry. Augustin Trapenard, our sponsor, met our team [...]

“We don’t have to stay within the walls of the library at all”

At a flea market in Providence, RI, you can buy furniture, gifts, and food. This summer, residents were able to find something new as well : legal education. Together with the Providence Community Library, the legal service provider Dorcas International, and the Providence Public Library, Libraries Without Borders brought library services and legal resources into [...]

In Detroit, Libraries on the Ruins of the American Dream

We know Detroit, the Michigan metropolis, for the former glory of its automobile industry, its violent 1967 riots, Eminem, RoboCop and its abandoned pavilions, ruins of an American dream. It’s lesser known that in Detroit, there are physical and digital libraries in several city laundromats, offering the poorest populations the opportunity to read and inform [...]

Detroit Residents Come Together for Free Laundry Day

DETROIT – October 31, 2017 – On Wednesday, November 1st, Libraries Without Borders (LWB) and the LaundryCares Foundation will host “Free Laundry Day,” during which will residents of westside Detroit can enjoy a number of festivities while doing a load of laundry. In addition to free laundry services, “Free Laundry Day” will feature live music, […]