About the Uni Project

The Uni Project aims to do one thing and do it well: temporarily transform almost any available urban space into a public reading room and venue for learning. We start with the conviction that books and learning should be prominent, accessible, and part of what we expect at street-level in our cities.

To accomplish this, the Uni Project has created a new kind of portable institution called the Uni, which can operate in parks, plazas, farmers’ markets, and other available outdoor spaces. The purpose of the Uni is to share books, showcase the act of learning, and improve public space. It is intended to be a new resource for a city, providing residents with a place to gather and contribute to their own well-being and advancement, as well as that of their neighborhood. The first Uni is a one-of-a-kind, portable reading room for New York City. It will remain permanently in New York, serving as a prototype and test kitchen for the Uni Project.

The Uni: an open-air reading room
The Uni consists of three basic components: a structure, a collection, and a team. These components scale according to the conditions of each site. A small, permanent staff works year-round to enlist others in the Uni’s work, seeking out partnerships for locations and programming to fill the Uni’s calendar, such as readings, talks, workshops and screenings.

Structure
The Uni structure is based on a system of 144 open-faced cubes. The cubes stack and lock together, and can be installed in different configurations or heights to create an inviting space for people to gather in public. Each Uni cube has an interior dimension measuring 16″ on a side, providing shelf space for approximately 10-15 books or other materials. Each cube also has a cover element that can be used as a bench, a table, podium, or a display surface. In the early evening or in bad weather, these cover elements can be re-inserted to close up the Uni and transform it into a surprising new form. Overnight, the Uni can be further secured with a locking, waterproof cover. When all 144 cubes are deployed together, the Uni becomes a striking reflection of its parts: an eight-foot-high cube.

Collection
The Uni collection consists of new and gently-used books and materials donated to the Uni. Managed with the help of a team of volunteer librarians, the goal is to offer an engaging collection of books and learning experiences to an urban audience, children and adults alike. The collection is organized into modules that help librarians adapt the Uni to different locations and communities, and even change content over the course of a day.

Materials in the Uni are for browsing only and do not circulate. Areas of focus are children’s picture books, poetry, short works, art books, and reference titles. Special “curated” collections rely on the physical constraint of the 16″ cubes to provide concise, in-depth looks at various ideas or topics. Whenever possible, these cubes are curated by an individual who loves books and is deeply knowledgeable and passionate about a particular subject. For example, one curator is working on a cube dedicated to the origins, history, and use of knots—this cube will include a rope and cleat board for practicing basic bends, cleats, and hitches. Another is developing a cube on deafness and sound. Cubes may also be curated by an organization. Curated collections convey a sense of passion and depth too often missing from content chosen for public space. They also serve to include different “voices” in the collection, reflecting the communities where the Uni operates.

Team
The Uni relies on a volunteer corps of librarians, educators, and others, who believe in providing access to books and learning experiences, supporting local residents and neighborhoods, and experimenting with new ways to do those things in the city. The corps will be expert at planning, deploying and operating the Uni in different environments. Off-site, they will work with project staff on site selection, permitting, scheduling, outreach and publicity. On-site, they will be focused on program implementation, audience experience, and documentation. Some on the team have backgrounds in design retail, and planning. They will be able to provide rapid-response technical assistance to nonoprofit program partners who bring programming to the Uni, helping to customize programs and activities for a walk-up, street-level audience.

Future Plans
We think the Uni will work best as a permanent, familiar resource for a city or neighborhood. Or possibly shared between several neighborhoods with a goal of supporting placemaking, civic life, or education. That’s what we intend to test in the first Uni for New York City. But we think lots of places could use a Uni, and 2012 will also be about exploring how to create “blueprints” for replicating the Uni structure, collection and team in other locations. For example, in Boston we’re already looking at creating a Uni that would work in support of “turn-around” public schools. We look forward to more conversations about this as we move forward.

The Uni is a project of Street Lab, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.