Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

Little Free Library Sankirtan

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?

    That's easy.  You can email RadhaKrishnaCOS@gmail.com with your home address and how far you are willing to drive.  If you don't feel comfortable providing your address, you can just provide your home ZIP code.

    A good second step is to get help.  Do you have friends in your area who will help?  This can be especially helpful if you live in different parts of town, that way you can go to the Little Free Libraries (LFL) in your area, and your friend can go to the ones in their area.

Then what happens next?  How do I know where to go?

    I work for a company that develops route optimization software and other types of mapping and imaging software.  My boss has graciously allowed us to use this for this project.  Once I have your information, I will go to the LFL website and compile a list of locations in your area.  This list is then uploaded to the software and used to generate your routes.

How many Libraries are in my area? 

    That's hard to say, but the best place to start is at the LFL Map website, which you can find here:
https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/

Is it ok to put Prabhupada's books in there?

    YES!  We've had an almost 100% approval rate everywhere we have gone, and the community comes and takes the books home quicker than you can imagine!  Occasionally, you will find a Little Free Library that is specifically marked as "KIDS ONLY" and we often skip those.  Even in this case, if there is a section for older juvenile readers, it's ok to put a book in that section, I just don't think kindergarteners are ready for this knowledge without help from a teacher.

What is it like to do LFL distribution?

    I or your Project Coordinator will either email or text you your routes.  Each route is a link that you can open on your phone and it will help you navigate to each LFL on your route.  You'll use Google Map or Waze to get there!  
    When you find your first library, park the car, and get out with your books and prasad (if you're putting prasad out, too, that's entirely optional).  Sometimes a Little Free Library can become untidy and it's not an auspicious place to put Srila Prabhupada's books.  In these cases, please always take a quick moment to organize the shelves and tidy up just a bit, that way you can find a great place to put Prabhupada's books.  I like to put the books all the way to the left or all the way to the right,  up against the wall, and scooted up to the front so they are very visible as soon as someone opens the Library door.  Then you can get back in your car, pull up your route, and start the navigation to the next stop.  It's that easy to HARI HARI BOL!
    If a location is missing, please note the address and when you get home you can email or text it to your Project Coordinator.

What books should I distribute?  And how many?

    This depends on you.  I typically use the books that I know to do well in a face-to-face Sankirtan effort, books that have colorful or attention-grabbing covers.  When my budget is tight, I usually stick to small books such as Chant and Be Happy, Perfect Questions and Perfect Answers, Sri Isopanishad, Raja-Vidya, etc.  I also mix in some Spanish titles, depending upon the neighborhood.
    When I have more money for books, or when a kind soul sponsors books for our Sankirtan effort, I will often place larger books like the Bhagavad Gita or Srimad Bhagavatam First Canto Chapters 1-8.      
    Distribute the books that you like, the ones that do well in your area, or the ones that you feel Lord Caitanya or Srila Prabhupada would like you to distribute.

AT LEAST TWO PER LOCATION, please.  You are taking your time and burning your gasoline to reach these locations, so please put at least 2 small books in each LFL to make it worth the time.  When I can put more, I put more.  I also leave contact information for our local temple inside the front cover of each book (Colorado Springs has no temple, so I put a Mahamantra card for the Denver temple inside every book I distribute).  Lately, I have also begun to leave prasad at each library, just a small pack of organic, vegan, gluten-free gummy sweets.  I don't know how long I will have this in the budget, but it's my belief that gummy candy will reach a certain audience that perhaps a book will not.  Never forget that Prabhupada's books and prasad are life-changing!  How did you come to Krsna Consciousness?  If you're like most of us, it was prasad and Prabhupada books.

What if the LFL is full???

    That's a great question.  If the LFL is totally full, well...the books are free, so take one.  Take two if you need to, and then put Srila Prabhupada's books in there nicely.  If you want to read the other books, then take them home, otherwise you can leave them in the next LFL.  The books must go out.

How much time does this require?

    That is entirely up to you, as this is completely voluntary.  The routes generated are almost always between 60 and 90 minutes, meaning you should be able to get from your house, to all the stops, and then back to your house within that time frame.  Sometimes you will just do one route, or you might even do just a part of a route in your spare time.  Some days you might want to make a big effort, accompanied by your family on a Saturday or Sunday morning, and you can do 4 or 5 routes all at once.  Please do whatever is comfortable for you and your family, in your unique situation.  This is Seva for our Lord, it should be sweet and full of nectar, please don't make it a chore.

I don't want to go distribute, or I can't...is there any other way I can help?

    YES!  The number of cities and route maps is increasing every week!  If you would like to help from home, you can do that.  Please email me at RadhaKrishnaCOS@gmail.com and let me know you would like to help.  I am always interviewing new candidates to see if they are a fit for the LFL Sankirtan program.  If it feels like you're a good fit, then I can get you access to the routing software and train you.  Then you will be responsible for the LFL Sankirtan routes in one or more cities, it doesn't even have to be in your area.