Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 25

Curios | Little Free Libraries
Mary Lou Wylie and
Lennis Echterling put a
Little Free Library in their
Harrisonburg, Va., front
yard in fall 2013.

MARY LOU WYLIE

own library in Asheville. With two
shelves of adult books and another of
kids' books, their library gets lots of
action.
"We have several families who have
made the library part of their walks,"
says Beatty. "A neighbor told us that
when they near the library, her two-yearold in the stroller starts chanting, 'book,
book, book.'" And what happens when
Walker and Beatty travel? Two neighborhood kids serve as stewards.
Residents of Kendal at Lexington,
a retirement community in Virginia,
have designed and built several LFLs,
including one near the playground at
Lime Kiln Ridge Park and another at
the Senior Center in nearby Buena
Vista. Sarah Giddings and Anne
Preuss keep these libraries stocked.
Redena Barton teaches English at
Powell Valley Middle School in Big
Stone Gap, Va. After reading about
Abraham Lincoln with her students,
THEY'RE BIGGER THAN A BIRDHOUSE BUT
they decided to dedicate the school's
FAR SMALLER THAN A BARN.
LFL to him.
"We named it the Lincoln Library
by Alicia Klepeis
because we want to learn like Lincoln
and for everyone to be as honest as Abe
RIDING YOUR BIKE through a suburban neighborhood and remember to return books," she says. All 600 stuin Asheville, N.C., you come across what looks like a dents can visit the library daily; it's in the school's
birdhouse full of...books? Upon closer inspection, cafetorium.
you notice a plaque that says "Little Free Library."
Steward Don Hudson's LFL in Greenville, S.C.
Not familiar with the latest trend in libraries? has become a neighborhood affair. Hudson built his
Roughly the size of large breadboxes, Little Free mini-library using repurposed materials, including
Libraries' motto is "Little Free Library - Take a Book, an old podium, from Greenville's Habitat for
Return a Book."
Humanity store. Hudson's library door came from
With a mission of promoting literacy and building an entertainment center in a neighbor's trash.
a sense of community, the Little Free Library (LFL)
"I work from home so I get to see people take out
movement is the brainchild of co-founders Todd Bol books," Hudson says. "Children's books go the fastest
and Rick Brooks. Unlike traditional libraries, Little but we've seen lots of books go out." When his library
Free Libraries are always open, with no fines to be ran out of kids' books, Hudson sent an email around
accrued. People can take and leave books as often as the neighborhood. Lots of donations quickly
they like, often making new friends in the process.
restocked the library.
Bol built the first Little Free Library in 2009 as a
Ready to start your own LFL? The vast majority
tribute to his mother. Today LFLs are found across are homemade. A clear plastic or Plexiglass front is
the United States and in 20+ countries worldwide. standard so that people can find the library and
From Charlottesville, Va. to Dahlonega, Ga., Blue browse. With one or two shelves inside, LFLs typiRidge individuals and organizations are getting cally hold 20-40 books at a time. Clients can order
involved with the creation and maintenance of these do-it-yourself LFL kits or even commission a cusmini-libraries. Businesses like Long Creek General tom-made library. The cost of starting a LFL is typiStore in Westminster, S,C, offer customers the chance cally less than $500, including the box, post, plaque,
to grab a free book, along with their purchases.
and listing on the LFL website (littlefreelibrary.org).
Enthusiasm for the Little Libraries is contagious. For clients who build their own libraries, the cost can
After reading about the LFL movement online, Jan be as low as $25 for the plaque and registration.
Walker and Paula Beatty became the stewards of their Individuals or groups can sponsor new libraries. 

LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES:

Easy, Fun Reading

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 | 25

http://www.littlefreelibrary.org

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

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