A Sampling of Local Little Free Libraries Montgomery County Nellie's Cave Park Margaret Beeks Elementary School Blacksburg Children’s Museum Christiansburg Aquatic Center Heritage Park Rosie’s Beauty Shop, Shawsville Floyd County Plenty Food Bank Oak Haven Lodge Barter Clinic Pulaski County Randolph Park Pulaski County Visitor Center Kiwanis Park Giles County Hilltop Grocery, Newport Hope House, Narrows Giles Mountain Vineyard & Winery
If you’re not into building one from scratch, littlefreelibrary.org offers various blueprints for download or premade libraries for purchase. Once built, official registration with the company will award you a charter plaque and placement on the interactive online world map. There is even a Little Free Library Stewards Facebook group to join. However, the process can be significantly more informal. Sally Warburton, of the Pulaski County Library, relates that the county’s first little library started with a Dublin resident who simply put books in her front yard for people who walked by. No blueprint kit, no official registration and no charter 40
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sign, just a container of books. The deeper philosophy, however, was the same: encourage a sense of community and spread a bit of joy by putting free books in the hands of those who may otherwise have prohibitive barriers. “And the spontaneity is great,” Warburton adds, “to be able just to pick up a book in a beautiful park and read.” Public libraries don’t necessarily play a role in every little library; after all, any passerby can take a book or return a book. But they are always willing to partner with interested stewards to help keep them stocked and refreshed on a regular basis. Most welcome book donations at any time for distribution to
the little libraries. They don’t have to be in new or perfect condition, just loved enough to share. Children’s books and popular adult fiction, expectedly, usually circulate the best. To watch the Little Free Library movement grow is as impressive as it is inspiring. An empty box tells its own story of success; a story of truly reaching people despite busy, hyper connected lives; a story of giving folks of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to enjoy a free book; a story of connection, of creativity, of community. A little library, in itself, feels magical; the way they sometimes just appear along the way. And what a charmed responsibility it is to help the gateways stay open, so the magic keeps moving right along. Nancy Moseley is a Blacksburg-based freelance writer who has been an avid reader since childhood. She hopes to pass on the magic of reading to her two sons.
Mar/Apr 2018