Have you ever seen a Little Free Library in your neighborhood and wondered what it was all about? I know I had seen them around and thought they were really cool. Where we lived in Montana was very rural and there was very little traffic so while I knew about them I didn’t think it was an ideal place to have one.
Here in Vermont we are in a small city so I figured it’s a perfect place to offer a Free Little Library! I didn’t know much about how the program worked but it was easy to research.
What Exactly Is a Little Free Library?
It is a group that promotes book exchange through small “bookcase” libraries that people house and maintain on their property. Some choose to do only children’s books. Others offer adult reads. In some you will find a mix of both.
My Little Free Library, at least at this point, is full of adult books since I am filling it with books I have read and enjoyed myself. They are novels or non fictions books I want to share with my neighborhood or anyone driving by that might stop.
Little Free Libraries are all about the love of reading and books.
How to Purchase
I did an internet search and found a variety of ways to end up with an acceptable library box. One was to find plans and make one. That was not something I was going to do so I looked around a bit and found a finished one in an Etsy Shop. You can also purchase them on the Little Free Library website.
Then you need to register your Little Free Library so it has a dedicated charter number and once it is active it will show up on the location map on the Little Free Library site.
Once it arrived all I needed to do was paint it. The hubby took me to the store and I picked out a bright red, outdoor paint. It is a very happy color, isn’t it?
Filling Up the Library
I put some books in, John put some books in and I also left some wonderful Candy Cane Lip Balm from Eco Lips as a little gift for anyone who needed a pick me up. (Thanks Eco Lips for sending them along at no charge for me to share this holiday season!)
I love to read (erm, I am sure any on you who visit here on a regular basis have figured that out) and now I can share some of my favorite books with the neighborhood. The husband is the same way. If we were not careful we would find ourselves buried under books.
My Little Free Library Makes Me Happy
Just knowing it is out there brings a little smile to my day. The next time I go into town I am going to go to the bookstore to pick up some children’s books to put inside so that there is a little something for everyone in the neighborhood to enjoy.
I have also said that the greatest gift you can give a child is the love of reading because it can take them anywhere in the world even when they are sitting on their couch. There are so many wonderful adventures to be found between the covers of a book. I know I have been reading since I could string sentences together and books were a wonderful escape.
Books are magic.
Resources for Little Free Library Owners
If you decided you want to set up a Little Free Library there are a number of resources available to help you as you start and to offer answers to any questions you might have. First is the website at www.littlefreelibrary.org There you will find all the info about how to get started, a shop to purchase the library of your choice if you want to go that route and links to other resources.
There is also a Little Free Library Facebook Page, Twitter Page, and Instagram
