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A family in Brisbane has used word of mouth and social media to help find their beloved street library.
The Dornoch Terrace Street Library in Highgate Hill was stolen on Monday, only a day after being put on the footpath.
Owners Laura Reece-Oresjo and Per Oresjo put the call out on social media and spoke to ABC Radio Brisbane in an appeal to help find the converted dollhouse.
The library was returned to the home on Tuesday afternoon.
On Facebook Ms Reece-Oresjo thanked the community for its support.
"Thank you to all the wonderful people who shared this far and wide and to the honest soul who returned our little library," she said.
"Facebook worked it's magic overnight and this morning we were interviewed by ABC Radio Brisbane looking pretty glamorous [in pyjamas]."
The two-storey dollhouse was a labour of love for the family, with Mr Oresjo waterproofing and renovating it before its street-side debut.
"We stocked it full with books and hoped that people would take and share their books," Ms Reece-Oresjo said.
"I was peeking out the window on Sunday night to see if anyone had taken a book but all the same books were there on Monday morning.
"When I came home from work to check what books had changed, I couldn't as it was no longer there."
A family left devastated
Ms Reece-Oresjo said the family was devastated when they discovered the library had been taken.
"I felt so sad, devastated actually, and the kids and Per and I have felt mopey about it," she said.
"People do put things out on the kerb, so maybe people driving by may have thought it was there to be taken."
Renovated to perfection
The street library was a family project, with Mr Oresjo renovating the dollhouse to ensure books could easily come and go.
"Per put so much time into this, he made 650 separate roof shingles for the roof of the house and there was a lot of discussion about the various techniques we used," Ms Reece-Oresjo said.
"Our plan was to secure it, but we got excited that it was Book Week at West End Primary School and thought we would secure it later."
Photo:
The sign for help placed on a speed sign in Highgate Hill. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Terri Begley)
In addition to the social media campaign, the couple put a sign in front of their home asking for the library to be returned.
"We won't ask any questions, we just want to get it back," Ms Reece-Oresjo had said.
Topics: community-and-society, human-interest, library-museum-and-gallery, crime, highgate-hill-4101, brisbane-4000
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