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Category: Community News
Published on Friday, 18 April 2014 15:59
Written by Chelsee Lowe
In 2009, the first Little Free Library was stuck into Todd Bol’s front yard in Hudson, Wisconsin. It was a small wooden box in the shape of a schoolhouse and a tribute to Bol’s mother, who was a schoolteacher and an avid reader. Inside the box sat a variety of books, each one meant to either be traded by neighbors or given to anyone looking for something new to read. 

AprLibrarywebMore than five years later, approximately 15,000 Little Free Libraries can be found across the globe, from a refugee camp in Rwanda to a park in central Reykjavík, Iceland. There are three in the Mid-City Los Angeles area as well: one in the Westside Jewish Community Center on Olympic Boulevard, another on Hayworth Avenue between Pico and Venice Boulevards and a third on South Gramercy Place above 3rd Street. And the non-profit organization behind the “take a book, leave a book” phenomenon expects the worldwide count to continue to grow.

“So many [Little Free Libraries] are being registered every week that we have not been able to keep up with the time and technology required,” the non-profit shared on its website in January. “On average, each Library goes through a minimum of 25 books per month. At the current rate, even if not one new Little Library were built in 2014, more than 4.5 million books will be exchanged in the next 12 months.  For every book donated or taken, 5 to ten people stop and peruse the selection.  That translates into as many as 45 million visits.”  

The Little Free Library non-profit organization and its stewards have a clear aim: to promote literacy and build a sense of community through free book exchanges.Front yards, parks and local gardens are the most common locations for Little Free Libraries, allowing for easy access. Coffee shops, restaurants and community centers are also frequent homes for the boxes.

In addition to putting books in the hands of any interested readers, Little Free Libraries are encouraging creativity and connecting people. Craftsmen and women around the world are designing their own versions of the libraries, and already-established locations are destinations for walkers, cycling tours and more. 

Sherman Oaks resident Jonathan Beggs heard about Little Free Libraries and decided to build his own for his front yard – he didn’t expect it to make such an impact.

"I met more neighbors in the first three weeks than in the previous 30 years," 76-year-old Beggs told the L.A. Times in 2012. 

In search of a new title? Go to the Little Free Library website, find the location nearest you on the map and visit, with a book or two to trade. Or, join Jonathan Beggs and become a steward yourself by placing a Little Free Library on your property – you can build your own like Beggs and our community members, or purchase a kit or one ready-made from the website.   

www.littlefreelibrary.org


Photo by Chelsee Lowe
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Established in August of 2008 by writer, artist Dianne V. Lawrence, The Neighborhood News covers the events, people, history, politics and historic architecture of communities throughout the Mid-City and West Adams area in Los Angeles Council District 10.

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