Musing Mondays–Little Free Libraries: “Take A Book, Return A Book!”

October 14, 2013 by bookmammal 23 Comments

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Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to muse about one of several “bookish” questions… or, you can just ramble on about anything you like that pertains to books! You can join in by clicking the graphic above. Go ahead–it’s fun!
Here’s my Musing Mondays ramble for this week:

I first became aware of the Little Free Library project about a year ago when I came across an article about it online. My interest was sparked immediately, and I’ve been so pleased to see that this movement is continuing to grow!

From the official Little Free Library website:

“Little Free Library is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization whose mission is to promote a sense of community, reading for children, literacy for adults and libraries around the world . . . In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share . . . Little Free Libraries themselves are hand-crafted structures that contain constantly changing collections of books donated and shared by people of all ages and backgrounds. Most Little Free Libraries are placed in front yards, parks, gardens and easily accessible locations . . . Some Libraries are located in coffee shops, in or near restaurants and community centers. . . It’s a ‘take a book, return a book’ gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories . . .”

The project was started in Wisconsin in 2009 with one Little Free Library and has grown to include over 4,000 officially registered Little Free Libraries world-wide! The website includes a map where you can search for Little Free Libraries in your area–most are in the US, but they can be found in other countries as well. You can find a gallery of photos of Little Free Libraries here. Some are very basic–and some are truly works of art!

I’ve never discovered any Little Free Libraries “in the wild”–although a few of my friends have–and, according to the site map, there aren’t any near my home. However, the map did show that there was one only about 10 minutes from my office. So last week I decided to investigate on my lunch break . . . and I found it! It’s located in the courtyard of a church, and inside are several dozen books for children and adults–a few books of Bible stories for kids, as well as a lot of books by well-known authors such as Laura Ingalls Wilder and John Grisham. The Little Free Library itself looked well cared for–and although no one was near it when I visited, I’m hoping that it’s used often!

As someone who is passionate about literacy and making sure that books are available to all, I simply LOVE the Little Free Library concept, and I’m planning to take some more “field trips” to locate others.

What about you? Take a look at the map–are there any Little Free Libraries in your area? Have you ever come across one? Do you think this idea could work where you live or work? I’d love to know your thoughts–please share!

(Disclaimer–I have no affiliation with the Little Free Library organization.)