Over the last decade, our family has stewarded two Little Free Libraries in two states. My husband and I happened upon one of the first Little Free Libraries in Fair Hope, Alabama while visiting a friend and we thought it was the coolest thing we’d ever seen. The homeowner waved to us from inside their house as we perused the tiny blue wooden box in their front yard.
The Beginning of Our Little Free Library
When my husband and I bought our first home together in Garner, North Carolina we decided we needed our own lending library in our front yard to serve our new neighborhood. We bought a kit from the Little Free Library non-profit, and I painted it like a bee hive. I started an Instagram account for it and our neighbors did the rest. We had a special closet of books we picked up at used book sales, and when we sold our house to move to Worcester part of our sale agreement was that our buyers would maintain stewardship of the little library that brought the neighborhood together. If they weren’t interested, several neighbors had approached us willing to take it over when they saw the “For Sale” sign go up in our yard. It was clear that the library belonged to the neighborhood. We could rely on delivery drivers to pause and swap out books, our excited mailman would discuss what they put inside. Once a week, like clockwork, a dark blue minivan would pull up and kids would pour out and peruse, swapping books and leaving requests in our guestbook.
After we moved to Worcester, it took a couple of years but, in 2019, we decided to take a portion of our profits from our educational Montessori business to sponsor another Little Free Library for our new-to-us neighborhood. We noticed so many of our neighbors walking their dogs in front of our house, and the local school children took daily walks around our block. Even the elementary school’s running club’s routes went through our neighborhood and new home. My next-door neighbor helped me bolt pieces of wood to the trees in front of our home and affixed the new library in place. My neighbor and I were so excited when we finished. After we stood back to admire our work, she went inside and pulled out some books from her collection to stock it and be the first “customer.”
In 2020, I sewed masks made from fabric donated by neighbors and put them inside each week. I was happy to see the cheerful fabric on faces and friendly waves throughout the year. When Spring came around I put in packets of pumpkin seeds donated by my friend. In the autumn, we decorate our library with an ever-growing collection of giant spiders and spiderwebs where our resident “Charlotte” spells out the word “READ” for those who pass by. In the winter, Snoopy watches over the library and greets visitors. Whenever I’m in my front yard, without fail, someone comments on the library or talks about the latest book they’ve read. We’ve had at least four of our friends install their own libraries after they bought their first homes all around the country.
Watching through my front window, I’m grateful that something so simple can build community during challenging times.
Every time we go to check out our library we find something new. Something that has been added or borrowed, and we keep it stocked from donations and our personal collection. Our children frequently cull their personal libraries and often take stacks of books on walks with them to restock other neighborhood Little Free Libraries that have appeared since we installed ours.
Even if you don’t want to have people visit your front yard, school, or place of work to exchange books, there are so many opportunities to encourage literacy in your community through registered “Little Free Libraries” or “Book Nooks”:
Book Desert
Are you in a book desert? Check out the map here.
Little Free Library
Find a Little Free Library: Check the map of registered Little Free Libraries to find one near you!
Support Hygge House Books Initiatives
- Find and Support a Community Book Nook: You can support your neighborhood book exchanges by donating to libraries in your area or sponsoring a Book Nook through the local non-profit, Hygge House Books
- Central Massachusetts School Library Support: They are working to put school libraries in designated book deserts throughout Central Massachusetts schools.
- Buy a book for an established Book Nook: You can also purchase requested books from independent bookstores to go to specific, established book nooks throughout the City of Worcester.
Visit a Public Library
You can search for your town all across the country to find a list of your closest libraries here.
