The Uni Project
make a place for books and learning
the Uni
The Uni is a portable reading room for New York City. Foster a stronger culture of learning, starting at street level.
why
What we put at street level matters. Books and learning should be what is prominent, accessible, and all around us.
how it works
* a team of librarians, educators, and volunteers who love to work outside the walls
* high-quality books and learning activities chosen for public space
* lightweight, portable infrastructure that brings it all to the street
where
Neighborhoods of New York City. Click "Find the Uni."
Kickstarted
2011: funded by 230+ backers on kickstarter, we built and deployed the first uni.
2012: completed our first, full season in nyc, and built and shipped a second uni abroad.
2013: new locations and partnerships underway, thanks for your support.
About us:
The Uni Project is dedicated to expanding a culture of learning beyond the walls of schools and libraries and into public space. We've developed a new tool to do this work: a portable educational environment called the Uni that can be dropped into almost any available street-level location. Part library, part classroom, the Uni provides a place to gather around books and learning experiences, right in the heart of neighborhoods all across New York City.
We're also making Uni infrastructure for others. Read about other Unis in the US and abroad in the drop-down menu above. We've been at this work for a while—check out the Storefront Library.
Library Journal described the Uni as one of several “groundbreaking ideas...that could stimulate out-of-the-box thinking on how to impact library users in fresh ways.”
See what other people are saying about us.
Upcoming:
Saturday, June 22: Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, Queens with the Jackson Heights Arts Festival.
Sunday, Jun 23: Pitkin Avenue, Brownsville, Brooklyn, hosted by the Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District.
Details, maps, and photos at Find the Uni.
Other news:
Uni Project awarded 2013 Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation.
A Uni now on Governors Island in a partnership with all three NYC public library systems. A Uni for the Foundation for Early Learning in Washington State. New Uni studio space in Queens!
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