A Fully Booked Weekend

By Renee Schoen

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved to read. Hot summer days as long as I can remember were spent biking to the school library checking out a stack of books and peddling them home in my bike basket. It was nothing to read two books a week during summer vacation.

The library has come a long way since my younger years, now with everything electronic (I admit I don’t miss the endless drawers of card catalogs), with even the ability to check out books from home already pulled from the shelf and ready to pick up. And of course there are e-books, but let’s not even get into that electronic overload.

Give me an actual book to hold – I love the smell and feel of the paper and the work and heart that went into it to become a book.

Since March is National Reading Month, I thought it would be fun to celebrate another type of library, the kind that has been popping up a lot the last several years in neighborhoods across the country.

The Little Free Library, coming to a home near you – they’re hard to miss! Take a book, share a book, and sometimes when I’ve hit the jackpot it’s more like take five books and share next time around. These little libraries are so much fun! I love seeing the creativity that has gone into the making of each of them – some match the house, some have bright happy colors, some open in the front, others from the top, some are packed with books and some are not.

It’s fun to discover new little libraries along my walks and I have regular favorites and visit them often. But in the week I went out to take pictures, I discovered a few… one of which is hidden in an alley and tucked into the fence with flowers, a sign and even a bench. That became my new favorite – the house reminds me of a storybook. (Look at February’s Coronado Magazine cover and you’ll know what I mean.)

I also found a red one among succulents, one surrounded by flowers, one behind a white picket fence and one by a heart shaped tree. There are so many and it’s fun to spot them because you never know what book waits to be read! I have discovered books that I never would have chosen and expanded my view for new genres.

There is something for everyone. Some have children’s books, some mystery and thrillers, some romance novels, classics, how-to books, and some for animal lovers too. It’s a very simple concept, take a book, share a book, and return it when you’re through.

Each little library is unique with its own character but the purpose remains the same, to share the love of books and inspire reading, old or young.

I was curious how these got started and became so popular, so I did a little research. Little Free Library is a non-profit organization founded by Todd H. Bol, who launched in 2009, now with over 150,000 worldwide. He started with a mission to build community, inspire readers, and expand book access for all globally. Todd is since deceased (2018), but his legacy lives on, through not only the little libraries across the nation but the programs that have expanded from it. Todd believed in the power of individuals as stewards with a vision to change the world through acts of kindness.

I think if Todd were alive today he would be happy to see the progress, the smiles, and the impact these Little Free Libraries have made. Next time you’re on a walk, don’t forget to get inspired and appreciate the little things. Take a book or share a book, you never know what you’ll find.

For more information on building a Little Free Library in your neighborhood or any of their programs, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.

The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a page.

~ Rachel Anders