Community bookcase

Holly did a post about a community bookcase in her new city of Hannover, Germany where you are free to take a book as long as you leave a book of your own to replace it from a glass doored bookcase on the street.  I think this is a lovely concept, although  unfortunately it probably wouldn't work in many cities here in the states.  Maybe in some smaller, close-knit communities it could, or if the bookcase was located in a coffee shop or other local business so there would be some sort of supervision so that someone doesn't clean it out and sell all the books on ebay.  Do you think a community bookcase could work in your town?  

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If not, maybe you could do a variation on the concept and set up a book swap with friends & family.