Our Little Free Library is Outta This World

In mid 2025, Crashspace members Lizzie and Peter spearheaded a remodel on Crash’s little free library which was worse for wear after 15 years in front of the building. What the duo thought would be a one weekend refresh snowballed into a multi-week (read: multi-month) teardown and rebuild. Peter modeled the new library on CAD software and the duo (riding the high of this irresistible hyperfixation) made plans to begin building during the peak of summer. Peter and Lizzie tore down the old library under the harsh rays of the Los Angeles sun…during the peak of summer. While their prayers for a light breeze to give them a respite from their suffering went unanswered, they had to remind themselves that literally nobody asked them to do this and they volunteered to do this of their own free will (lol). Fitment issues arose even before before construction began, when Peter stood alone in the Home Depot parking lot cursing his life choices as he discovered that his carefully selected plywood boards did not fit into his weedy little Honda’s backseat. After making yet another slight design adjustment, Peter got to work cutting and assembling the new library using the woodworking tools at Crash. Simultaneously, Lizzie got to work clearing the brush and debris where the old library once stood. The layers of trash were a testament to the unwavering spirit of the people of Los Angeles who used the area to discard everything from empty water bottles to cigarette butts to batteries and even an old cellphone.

Eventually, the hyperfixation wore off and the project dragged into fall. The detailed drawings which Peter had produced using OnShape turned out to not be detailed enough, because several iterations of the door did not fit the design well. Ultimately a simple acrylic panel was selected to allow for easy replacement after inevitable vandalism. One the structure was complete, Lizzie used the woodshop space to paint the library with an homage to the Crashspace mascot, Sparkles, the the solder-corn (solder+unicorn). She painted the opposite side of the library in a galaxy theme in hopes that the books shared via the little free library will inspire our friends and neighbors to dream the kind of big dreams that put mankind among the stars. After all, books inspired Peter to pursue his passion for space exploration and inspired Lizzie to pursue writing. Furthermore, the relentless pursuit of knowledge was what embolded these two novice wood workers to look at read a few tutorials and feel ready to embark on this journey.

Once construction was complete on this little-big project, Lizzie used Crash’s laser cutter to etch the Crashspace logo onto a plaque for the library. After Peter mixed up some quick cement, the library was ready to take its rightful place welcoming people to Crashspace.

Detailed drawings and the full assembly are available to anyone who wishes to create an addition or adornment with a precise fit to the library.

If you’d like to inspire the makers of tomorrow, please consider dropping off your gently used books — because let’s face it, nobody ever returns books to little free libraries. The little free library is located at 10526 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.