“I’d had the library idea for a couple months,” Future Man said. “I wanted to create an environment where learning could flourish.”

One of Future Man’s current roommates, Jeff Krajewski, had heard about a man who started his own library and decided to visit the library in person during the fall of 2007.

“It was only a few bookshelves,” Krajewski said, chuckling, “but you could see how excited he was, and determined.”

The initial collection consisted of about 50 books and has since ballooned to more than 3,500.

The collection slowly grew as word spread about the library and a list of members accrued, with each person paying $5 to join the library community. Future Man also encouraged members to donate $5 each month to help buy books for the library from the request list, which is usually more than 20 books long. The fee is mostly for monetary assurance, he said. Once the member reaches $100, the person becomes a lifetime member, he said.

“I enjoy tracking the books down,” Future Man said. “It’s how I wanted this library to work: a library built by the community, for the community.”

Future Man checks local book stores, as well as eBay and Swap.com, when looking for request-list books. The library has a few dozen genres, including economics, psychology, classic novels, gardening and visual narratives such as comic books. Future Man takes pride in finding the obscure books people often ask for. He once located a book for a girl on how to make corn whiskey.

In his eyes, his legal name no longer exists. Five years ago, around the time he arrived in Bellingham to attend Western, he began using the name Future Man. He said he doesn’t acknowledge an attached age to his being, but he graduated from high school in 2005.

“I decided to fully dedicate myself to my ideals and live in line with them as much as possible,” Future Man said of his decision to change his name.

This epiphany occurred in the middle of Future Man’s freshman year at Western, a period in his life he’d been waiting for with excitement. However, college didn’t turn out to be what he envisioned, he said.

“College was something I looked forward to growing up. I thought it would be the one and only truth,” Future Man said. “When I got to Western, however, I was disappointed. I wasn’t learning what I wanted to learn. I had no desire to focus on the enforced curriculum.”

Future Man was born in Hawaii and lived in a boat for about six years of his life. He notes this as a major contributor to his “psychological quirks.” Another is his parents; Future Man is the product of a Vietnam War veteran and a first-grade teacher.

“They profoundly influenced who I am today, equally through involvement and non-involvement,” Future Man said.

Once Future Man was free of school, nothing pulled him in any direction, he said. He became homeless. He lived in his car,  the Fairhaven complex lounge and even the Sehome Arboretum.

“I returned to my life as a young kid, drifting,” Future Man said.

Future Man was guided by his love for music. He drove around in his car,  playing various shows under his new name. The idea of starting a community library was always in the back of his mind, but he had no money and was stuck. Then, that pivotal moment happened: Future Man’s car was stolen, along with his music equipment and most of his other possessions, which were in the car.

After submitting a theft claim to his insurance company, Future Man was given $1,000 for his losses—an amount he said didn’t even cover the music equipment. Future Man had no car, a few pieces of clothing and a $1,000 check.

He spent half of it on books, found a location to rent, and his dream library was born.

“He’s really just created an environment where everyone is welcome,” Krajewski said. “When the library is open, it’s just a place to hang out and enjoy yourself.”

Future Man has also made his library available to volunteers in Bellingham. Volunteers make book-collection calls, maintain library cleanliness and, admittedly, simply hang out.

Future Man strongly believes in communalism. The community household also hosts several events that are open to anyone in town or anyone who is simply passing by, including documentary screenings every Thursday.

Students for Optional Clothing, Earth Church and Bellingham’s chapter of Food Not Bombs all use the alternative library for meetings.

Future Man also owns an eco-conscious publishing company called Neoglyphic Media. All the books are printed using vegetable-based inks and locally made recycled paper for the lowest environmental impact possible.

“I hope the library continues to expand and someday provides alternative scholastic venues,” Future Man said. “I want it to be seen as an example of successful urban homesteading.”

The Bellingham Alternative Library is at 717 N. Forest St.