In thousands of neighborhoods, in 70 countries around the world, book lovers have taken the initiative to create Little Free Library book exchanges in public spaces. If you don’t have one near you, maybe you should consider starting your own.

Last fall, the American Institute of Architects, the Little Free Library organization, and the publisher Chronicle Books launched a challenge that solicited original designs for Little Free Libraries. With hundreds of entries from more than forty countries, the judges picked a winner based on style, functionality and responsiveness to the needs of users.

The judges’s choice for overall winner was “owlie” by Bartosz Bochynski of London, England. While the Chronicle Books creative team chose a separate winner based on production potential, ability to be flat-packed, and weight of less than 19 kg, using environmentally conscious materials. Their pick (see below) was submitted by Rachel Murdaugh and Clark Nexsen of Asheville…