A well-read parking garage

In Kansas City, Missouri, this “community bookshelf” stops traffic and draws tourists from around the world. And it really was a community effort.

Each of the 22 book spines on the Kansas City Central Library’s parking structure was named by community members who nominated their favorite literary classics.

The images are printed on 3M Controltac™ Graphic Film with Comply™ Adhesive. It’s used to wrap entire cars and buildings – and even parking garages. The National Building Museum in Washington D.C. has even included this Kansas City bookshelf in an exhibit, sharing further the love for literature and imagination.

“The Community Bookshelf helps us convey the importance of our literary heritage,” says Lillie Brack, who was director at the Kansas City Central Library when the project was completed. “The response to it shows the fact that the love of reading is universal.”