A Little Library With Big Aspirations by Nathalie Pierpont ’22
The Lawrence Academy Library Squad launched the campus’ first Little Free Library at noon on June 8 — the culmination of several months of hard work. “It all came together in a very LA way, because once the students got involved, things happened,” Head of School Dan Scheibe said proudly of the initiative. It was a big project, but the display of communication and collaboration reflected the ambition of everyone involved. The Little Free Library program is a worldwide system of more than 90,000 registered public book exchanges. The goal of the program is to provide public access to a collection of books and foster community engagement through book trading. The Library Squad’s original inspiration for the Groton Little Free Library came from Annie Montesano, who had seen one on a college campus and thought, “We could have one here at LA!” She brought the idea to the Library Squad early this spring, and after discussing plans to make the concept a reality and delegating tasks, the Squad got right to setting the plan in motion.
1 4 LAWRENCE ACADEMY FALL 2021
The Library Squad organized several bins around campus to collect book donations, and were greeted with much generosity from the LA community. Art teacher Dina Mordeno, assisted by Abigale Moran ’23 and Alexandra Kelly ’23, created a smallscale model of the Ferguson Building, complete with hinged doors and glass windows. “The motivating factor for me to build the library was the excitement for the project from the Library Squad,” says Ms. Mordeno. LA’s Little Free Library now stands by the roundabout in front of Dr. Green, a high-traffic part of campus where its bright colors and stacks of books are sure to catch the eyes of passersby. The Library Squad encourages everyone to engage with the collection, for as Ms. Montesano puts it, “This library is a resource for our community and the greater community of Groton.”
