Five years after its official opening, the Kenna Street Library continues to provide West Chermside residents with a free place to browse, borrow and donate books from a front-yard collection on Kenna Street.
Five Years On At Kenna Street
The library officially opened on 18 April 2021 after founder Howard and his family created a dedicated space for the growing collection.
Its beginnings were much smaller. Books were first kept on a barbecue trolley, but the collection expanded as more titles were added and more locals discovered it. The books eventually spread beyond the original setup, prompting the family to build a larger space rather than reduce the collection.
Howard was recovering from a knee replacement while the new library was being prepared. His son-in-law helped prepare the foundations and level the ground before a garden shed was purchased and assembled in the front yard.
Shelving and furniture were then added inside, the earlier library setup was cleared away and the books were moved into the new structure. Locals gathered for its official opening once the work was complete.
Kenna Street Library Keeps Books In Circulation
The library has continued operating for five years, allowing people to browse the shelves, borrow books or leave books for others.
Unlike a conventional public library, the street-library model does not require a membership card or impose a due date. Books are shared informally, with residents able to contribute what they can and take something that interests them.
The West Chermside library is part of a form of book sharing now found widely across Australia, where more than 6,000 Street Libraries are registered.
Public libraries have also continued to record substantial use. During 2023–24, Australians made 88 million in-person library visits, while collections were used 174 million times, including 119 million physical loans and 55 million digital loans.
Google Trends data over a five-year period recorded a 40 per cent increase in searches for library near me and a 60 per cent rise in searches for local library.
A Continuing West Chermside Book Exchange
The dedicated shed that now houses the books replaced the barbecue trolley used for the original collection, giving the growing number of books more room while keeping them available for informal borrowing and sharing.
The arrangement continues without membership cards or borrowing deadlines. Residents can browse the collection, take a book or contribute another for someone else to discover.
Five years after opening, the Kenna Street Library remains on Kenna Street in West Chermside, where the front-yard collection continues to be available for local book sharing.
Published 1-September-2026
