Little Free Libraries take a variety of shapes and forms, with big Little Free Libraries, theme Little Free Libraries, and more. But a library pod? That’s a new one.

The Story Pod is a free book exchange in the town of Newmarket near Toronto. Found near Main Street in a civic square, the pod is also a public space and lounge area where people can take a load off and spend some time reading their new finds. During the day, the pod swings open like a book and at night it's closed back up.

The result is something that resembles a lantern lighting up the night. As My Modern Met reports:

“Regardless of the reasoning behind a person's visit to the pod, each person is met with an artistically designed structure with a series of vertical slats. When the slats are closer together, they look like an opaque wall, but they reveal book stacks when the openings are widened. There are also gaps backed by transparent plastic, which allows light to filter through and add to the piece's dynamic nature.”

Funded by Holliswealth, designed pro bono by Atelier Kastelic Buffey (AKB) architecture studio, and built by a team of volunteers, the Story Pod reimagines the role of free book exchanges and expands the boundaries of what can be utilized as public space.

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Photos: Atelier Kastelic Buffey (AKB) Architects. Follow @CatJohnson on Twitter