For the Love of Little Free Libraries

You may have noticed one in your neighborhood: a small, brightly painted box perched on a post, strategically placed at the curb in front of a private residence. The box typically has a hinged glass door and may be decorated with flowers and bees or bookish-type quotes. Or it may look as though it’s stood there for years, unattended, unloved, yet still full of paperbacks, hardcovers, and children’s books just waiting to be taken home.

They’re called Little Free Libraries, and I’ve recently become obsessed with the idea of installing one of my own.

However, it seems like a big commitment, and it’s prompted me to dig deeper into the responsibilities of a Little Free Library steward. Is it a lot of work to maintain a LFL? Is there always a surplus of books piling up around the house? Or is it a challenge to keep the library stocked? Can I order a premade library box? Can I build my own and still become a registered member of the LFL community?

So many questions!

And this is my bid to answer them for you.

I’ve been in contact with several LFL stewards in the last few weeks, primarily through my Instagram feed where I’m a loyal follower of @littlefreelibrary. I’m constantly in awe of all the creative touches people put on their library boxes, whether it involves a purchased LFL kit painted with a custom color scheme or a DIY library built from scratch.

A Milwaukee Tudor LFL

The more creative LFL stewards don’t just slap an unfinished pine box on a post and call it a day. Instead, some of them use their little library as a way to express their personality. Rachel in Milwaukee spent most of the winter building her LFL, which is a tiny replica of her house! She unveiled the finished product in April this year, and what an adorable addition it is to her neighborhood.

Even though Rachel’s book box is still relatively new, she says it has already created a sense of community. She says neighbors will stop to chat while she’s out doing yard work and often thank her for installing the library.

To remind people where the book came from, Rachel takes the extra step of stamping all her books with a custom message showcasing her Milwaukee Tudor Instagram handle, and the more I chatted with other stewards, the more I discovered this is pretty standard practice across the LFL community. Rachel notes that while some of her books have been returned, most have not, and she’s totally fine with that. She says the most important thing is providing free books to people who will enjoy them.

So far, Rachel’s experience as a LFL steward has been pretty positive. She enjoys contributing something beneficial to her community and connecting with other stewards and readers. “It’s also been fun to share books that I love and have learned so much from, especially those that are from BIPOC and LQBTQ+ authors. It’s nice to be able to put even more of a spotlight on these stories and share them with more people,” she says.

The Cedar Shake Library

Liz is another brand-new LFL owner who installed her Seattle library about two weeks ago. In order to prepare for it, she borrowed the Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds book from the library. She says it was full of helpful building and installation ideas and even touched on the management side of things and recommends it to anyone considering starting a LFL of their own.

To stock her LFL, Liz collected books from friends in her book club and her local Buy Nothing Facebook group . As a result, she ended up with quite a bit of overstock in her garage to keep it running for a while. Once the supply has been exhausted, she plans on visiting yard sales and thrift shops where books are inexpensive to buy.

Liz stamps all her books with the name of her library—The Cedar Shake Library, its location, and its charter number using a personalized stamp she purchased on Etsy. She’s looking forward to finding out where the books end up over time. She’s also recruited her children to help with the LFL, mainly in the form of stamping the books and restocking the box. It seems like a great way to foster an appreciation for reading and teach kids about sharing and reusing, not to mention exposing them to the workings of a small business.

Like Rachel, Liz doesn’t expect the books to be returned. In fact, when checking on her library recently, she discovered about half the books had been wiped out all at once. It didn’t bother her, though, since she says it’s not too difficult to get her hands on more.

All the stewards I’ve talked to appreciate the sense of community a LFL creates, and Liz is no exception. “I live on a fairly transient street with an odd mix of apartments, townhomes, and single family homes so it’s not necessarily easy to get to know your neighbors. I’m hoping that the LFL will help bring the area together a little bit more,” she says.

Bright Colors and a Beautiful Message

Ann Putnam’s Little Free Library in Wilton, NH, epitomizes the concept of community. She chose to customize her book box with the bold colors of the Progress Pride Flag—a variation of the LGBT Pride Flag. In addition to the rainbow, this version incorporates a chevron of white, pink, and blue to represent the transgender community as well as black and brown to celebrate people of color.

“This is my way of honoring what a beacon of democracy libraries can play in their communities,” she says about installing her LFL. “I’m finally starting to find little ways to do anti-oppressive, anti-racist work in my community. Work worth doing.”

Ann’s LFL journey was recently featured in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, which neatly summarizes how Ann decided on the physical design for her library and how experiencing a global pandemic played a big part in bringing it to fruition. You can read it here.

Two Book Boxes: Better than One?

Evangelina, the owner of this LFL in Alta Loma, California, is a veritable veteran compared to the other three stewards I chatted with. Evangelina installed her first library in August 2019. That’s right, I said “first.” Having had such a positive experience with her library, she opened a second LFL geared toward children in April 2020.

Evangelina appreciates that her neighbors feel a sense of ownership with her LFLs, to the point where she’s gone on vacation for weeks at a time and has come home to see her LFL restocked with new books. And that sense of community doesn’t end with the people in her immediate neighborhood. In her city, a Facebook page was created for stewards to share books and plan events. A second page was added for people in her community to find out about those events and get a peek at the available books.

Some LFLs around my neighborhood

My husband and I are big fans of meandering, whether that’s in a whole different country or in our own backyard. There’s always something new to discover. Can you believe the following Little Free Libraries are located within a half-hour walk from our house?

The Verdict

I love, love the idea of this whole movement. I love the idea of repurposing books destined for the landfill. I love the notion of sharing a book with someone who might not otherwise be able to afford it. I love the creative aspect! And most of all, I love how these libraries cultivate vibrant neighborhoods and encourage human connection and inclusiveness.

Delving into what it might take to get my own LFL going, I checked out the Little Free Library site. There, I found U-assemble kits, pre-built LFLs ready to be painted, and even an assortment of sturdy posts on which to mount them. All of the libraries come with their own charter sign, which you will need to register if you wish to reap the benefits of stewardship.

However, if you’re handy enough to build your own library from scratch but still want the perks of a LFL membership, you need only buy a charter sign, register it, and affix it to your library, and voila, you’re up and running!

I thought all this research would curb my desire to install a Little Free Library of my own—that I would discover it would be too much work. But something else happened as I connected with the amazingly helpful stewards in the community: it made me want to install one even more. I’ll be sure to post an update when I finally realize that dream. Hopefully sometime soon!

Have you ever toyed with the idea of installing one of these adorable little libraries in your yard? Do you have one already? Have you ever borrowed from a LFL? Send me a message or comment below. I’d love to hear about your experience!