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Do Good: How to Help the Little Free Libraries
Last month Todd Bol, the founder of the nonprofit literary group Little Free Library, died in Minnesota at the age of 62. In honor of his passion for libraries and making books accessible, we're highlighting this group and how you can help.
Painted red and shaped like a miniature one-room schoolhouse in honor of his school teacher mother, the first Little Free Library—built by Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin, in 2009—launched what would become a worldwide movement.
Just nine years later, more than 75,000 such “Little Free Libraries” dot the globe in all 50 U.S. states and in 88 countries. Often custom painted by local artists, these tiny book collections are outfitted with the cheerful motto "Take a book, return a book!"
Believing that no one should have to live in a book desert, the nonprofit Little Free Library needs donations to keep the movement going. Find out how you can help place a Little Free Library in your hometown and in cities across the globe. You can also get involved by becoming the "steward" of your own library by ordering one ready-made or designing your own!
Learn more »
Donate »
Photos courtesy of Little Free Library
Just nine years later, more than 75,000 such “Little Free Libraries” dot the globe in all 50 U.S. states and in 88 countries. Often custom painted by local artists, these tiny book collections are outfitted with the cheerful motto "Take a book, return a book!"
Believing that no one should have to live in a book desert, the nonprofit Little Free Library needs donations to keep the movement going. Find out how you can help place a Little Free Library in your hometown and in cities across the globe. You can also get involved by becoming the "steward" of your own library by ordering one ready-made or designing your own!
Learn more »
Donate »
Comments Showing 51-57 of 57 (57 new)
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Wendy
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Nov 22, 2018 01:06PM
I’m from the US but was just in Amsterdam a few days ago and found a little free library with a geocache in it! So excited to have both my fave things together! All books were in Dutch, but it was fun to look at them!
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mirabilos wrote: "High fifteen wrote: "So is it not free in that you have to pay to rent books from librarys, public or otherwise?."
It’s usually a registration fee, then fee per year (around 15–30 €) plus a fee pe..."
Wow, you learn something new every day! This is definitely something that will have to go on my list of things I'm thankful for!
In the U.S most librarys open to the public are run by countys or parishs, some are state run (I believe the librarys in the public schools come under this category), and I believe there are a couple run by the federal government. You have to pay to get a library card for the first time, or to get a replacement card. But after that you only have to pay if you are late in returning the items you rented or the items became damaged (only if it becomes so damaged they will have to replace the item) or were lost. This is also the same for the book mobiles and bike mobiles run by public librarys. Plus, if they have multiple libraries in your parish/county you just need one card from one of these libraries to access all the parish/county run libraries in your country/parish.
But even many private librarys that are open to the public (Although you sometimes have to be a member/attendee,etc., of something (like a university/college) to be able to rent something.) only have you pay for a card/damages/late fees, etc.
It’s usually a registration fee, then fee per year (around 15–30 €) plus a fee pe..."
Wow, you learn something new every day! This is definitely something that will have to go on my list of things I'm thankful for!
In the U.S most librarys open to the public are run by countys or parishs, some are state run (I believe the librarys in the public schools come under this category), and I believe there are a couple run by the federal government. You have to pay to get a library card for the first time, or to get a replacement card. But after that you only have to pay if you are late in returning the items you rented or the items became damaged (only if it becomes so damaged they will have to replace the item) or were lost. This is also the same for the book mobiles and bike mobiles run by public librarys. Plus, if they have multiple libraries in your parish/county you just need one card from one of these libraries to access all the parish/county run libraries in your country/parish.
But even many private librarys that are open to the public (Although you sometimes have to be a member/attendee,etc., of something (like a university/college) to be able to rent something.) only have you pay for a card/damages/late fees, etc.
Mh. As I said, the tiny church-run ones are usually free or cheaper, and school libraries are free of course but available to pupils only; no idea whether university libraries are generally available, didn’t check yet. I don’t know of any private ones, but the modus operandi I described is valid both for the city library in my birth town and the one in the city I live in (although this one has a dozen or so (some of them small, some large, some specialised) regional libraries (in a 300k people city), and you get access to all of them). I guess the cities need the subsidies somewhat (they tried to close some of the smaller regional ones, there was protest, and a charity took over staffing one but it’s still connected to the larger system). They’re also cutting down on public swimming pools/baths, so… (money for huge projects is still there of course, but that’s politicians for you).
mirabilos wrote: "Mh. As I said, the tiny church-run ones are usually free or cheaper, and school libraries are free of course but available to pupils only; no idea whether university libraries are generally availab..."
Yeah, the librarys in my parish just had some of the taxes going to them cut out, but a portion of what our public librarys run on is donations (of money and materials) and money from the volunteer group that helps out the librarys and does book sells to raise money for them.
Yeah, the librarys in my parish just had some of the taxes going to them cut out, but a portion of what our public librarys run on is donations (of money and materials) and money from the volunteer group that helps out the librarys and does book sells to raise money for them.
We love Little Free Libraries in Bellingham, WA- the City of Subdued Excitement. In this town of about 90,000, we have over 20. All of them are uniquely decorated and loved by their stewards and neighborhoods. God bless Todd Bol.
Kabrada wrote: "I know for a fact that there were similar installations here in Germany as early as the late 90s, so stating that someone "launched a movement" in 2009 seems a bit absurd, no matter how important t..."You know, it is possible for a thing to exist in one country for decades and need a movement to launch it in another. We're discussing two different continents here.
Hello Violet,the article talks about that some Ami “launched what would become a worldwide movement”, which is a bit insulting considering that movement was already way underway in the rest of the world.
It’s really that USA-centricism and the neglecting that the rest of the world can do things at all that worms us.
I have no problem with your “something needs a movement to be launched in another country”, but that another country taking credit for the pre-existing work in other countries is just wrong.
Goodreads is much too USA-centric already anyway. Please don’t help making it even more like that. Thank you.
