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Hi friends!
Today I am going to talk libraries with you; to be exact, Little Free Libraries. Have you heard of them? Maybe you’ve seen one in a park or outside of a public library building near you? They are usually small, wooden boxes of books where people are invited to take a book or bring a book to share with others.
I originally wrote this post for a guest post opportunity on my friend Katie’s blog. Check it out here. Because I love the idea of the Little Free Libraries, I decided to share the post here with you. Just in case you didn’t see it at The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life.
The first Little Free Library (LFL) was the brain child of Todd Bol. In 2009, he built a wooden box painted like a one room school house to honor his mother, a teacher who loved to read.
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The LFL was so popular among Bol’s friends and family, that he built a few more and gave them away. And the rest, as they say, is history. You can read more on the official Little Free Library website, here.
Fast forward to Zavala Elementary School, El Paso, Texas, fall 2011. My fellow elementary school librarian and sweet friend Lisa Lopez Williamson introduced the first LFL in the state of Texas.
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Lisa spoke to all of our school district librarians about the success of the Zavala LFL and I was bitten by the bug. The demographics of the students at her school were very similar to those of my babies at H.R. Moye. Largely bilingual kids who spoke English as a second language. Living in low socio-economic circumstances where literacy and library usage are not always a priority.
When I contacted her for more information later that fall, Lisa offered to sponsor a Little Free Library for Moye. I met with her at the University of Texas, El Paso to complete the LFL stewardship paperwork and pick up my our library.
I was so excited to bring this opportunity to my sweet students. Our LFL was created from a cranberry crate. The white sign across the top of the crate is the official charter for this particular library. Each Little Free Library is registered with LFL , given an official charter sign and charter number. Stewards gain access to a network of benefits and are allowed to use the name Little Free Library once their library is registered.
Next, I introduced the LFL to my students. It was love at first sight. The children were excited to learn that our library would be the second LFL in the state of Texas.
I invited the third, fourth and fifth graders to create posters explaining the “take a book, leave a book” idea behind our LFL.
They did a fabulous job. And the posters created a buzz of excitement for our library.
Finally, it was time to put the library to use. I bought a little iron table for the LFL at Hobby Lobby. Then added a yard gnome who had always served as one of our shelf elves as created in the books by Jackie Hopkins.
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And with that, the H.R. Moye Elementary School Little Free Library was open for business.
I moved the LFL out into the main lobby of the school so parents and our whole school community could easily access it.
I retired from Moye two years later but the Little Free Library is still there providing books to children who might not otherwise have a book they can call their ownLisa Lopez Williamson continues to do wonderful work spreading the word about Little Free Libraries here in El Paso. The El Paso Community Foundation has recently funded a grant that will enable Lisa to bring LFLs to other parts of the city. The education department at the University of Texas, El Paso, is in line to receive one. And another elementary school near Moye on the northeast side of town.
If you are interested in learning more about the Little Free Library, please follow this link for information.
Thank you for sharing a bit of your day with me. If you have seen a Little Free Library near you, please share a picture with me!
Hugs and kisses,
Amy
I see these around when I travel and I think they are just the best idea!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Girl! I am so honored to have you stop by! Thank you so much. Please send me a pic of one of the LFL you see next time. Would love to share pictures
of Little Free Libraries from all over the country. Thank you again for coming by and leaving a comment!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I need to look at that link. We saw one in the oddest of all spots and now I can’t remember where exactly it was… it was like in a parking lot of an apartment that I drove by. Lol. Weird, huh? I think these mini-libraries are such great ideas!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Michael Ann
Hooray for books and Little Free Libraries! Sheila DelC got me hooked on these, and when the weather cools down a little I want to spend a day tromping around Savannah taking pics of the several we have around the city. As soon as I heard about these I knew I wanted to start one. My daughter recently came up with the PERFECT location, and then I totally forgot about the whole thing! Your post has now re-ignited that fire, and I plan to do a little more homework and see if we can get one established. Thank you!
Lana
I think this is such an amazing idea. I don’t think we have any in our area, but I need to investigate further. I love books so much, and can’t ever imagine myself using a Kindle. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day
I {heart} Free Little Libraries and I first heard about them from a post on Karla C’s blog! I want to start one too!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I want to start one for my neighborhood. We live several miles from the closest public library and maybe a Little Free Library would be great for the kids around here. It would be fun if we all start one!!! And blog about it.