A few weeks ago, while walking through a nearby thoroughfare, I noticed a bright and shiny red-framed structure sitting on top of a wooden post. From a distance, the configuration resembled an elaborate birdhouse. The top had a corrugated silver-tone metal cone with rounded sides covered in clear glass panels.
Once I got closer to the tiny red nest, I realized the towering construct wasn’t a bird feeder after all.
Instead, I had stumbled upon a miniature book repository. Three of the four side panels had black stylized writing on them. The center piece held a door with a tiny pull. “Little free library” bore black and opaque letters across the mid-section. The glass panel on the right side said “take a book, ” and the panel on the opposite side said, “leave a book.”
When I peered inside the space it brimmed with paperbacks. Excited about my discovery I vowed to return to the miniature book nook whenever possible.
Thereafter, a part of me liked taking a mental inventory of the authors that traveled to and from the little house. Often, I tried matching a specific title to a nearby resident. My mind would settle on a book and then I would aspire to discover which home the novel originally came from. Could this author have come from the pale blue dwelling across the street? Hmm, or maybe the story belonged to the mustard-colored stucco abode down the road? Ultimately, I knew my pursuit for bibliophiles would not lead me in a definitive direction.
Surprisingly, while driving in downtown Edmonds, I spotted 2 additional custom-made miniature neighborhood libraries. Both book houses were filled with good reads too. I thought incredulously perhaps these little wooden enclosures are becoming part of a new trend?
Miniature literary feeders are an ingenious way to share novels with your neighbors. They provide a great opportunity for reusing and recycling reading material. The best part about neighborhood libraries is that they are full of surprises. I enjoy taking a gander at them to uncover what kind of tales lie within.
If you are interested in creating a free library in your community there are several options available for you.
In 2009 Tod H. Bol of Wisconsin built a miniature one-room schoolhouse. Tod attributed his house to his mother a school teacher who loved reading. He posted the structure in his front yard and filled the inside with free books. Tod’s neighbors loved his free library so, he constructed more houses and gave them as gifts. Thus began the onset of little free library.org.
Their organization provides resources and additional information about little free libraries. They even have some free architectural do-it-yourself design plans @LittleFreeLibrary.org.
Amazon carries a Little Free Library unfished kit which ships directly from the US, and they have 7 different ready-made choices from Pinocchio UK which ship from Ukraine. Both eBay and Amazon offer books that include 14 different plans to build a signature neighborhood library.
Motivated to start a little free library near you? Simply choose a design, assemble, then place the completed project in your desired location. Lastly, register your custom nook on the free library world map here.
