50 Little Fun Facts About Little Free Libraries

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Little Free Libraries are the brainchild of Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin.  In 2009, he put a little homemade library box in his front yard, filled it with books, and attached a “free books” sign.  That small gesture turned out to be the start of something REALLY BIG.

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Of course, Todd could have just put a cardboard box full of books on the curb.  Instead, he created a mini-library in the shape of a little red schoolhouse to honor his late mother, a former schoolteacher and avid reader.  Many similar “legacy libraries” have since been created in memory of booklovers.

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After seeing the wild success of his tiny neighborhood library, Todd Bol teamed up with Rick Brooks with the goal of establishing 2,510 (tiny) libraries – one more than the number of public libraries established by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

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The concept is simple:  Anyone can take a book, but it should be returned at some future date or replaced with a different one.  No library cards, no due dates, no fines.

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Little Free Libraries have been called “bird feeders for humans,” “mini town squares,” “the neighborhood water cooler,” “centers for digital detox,” and “your dream house, but without the mortgage.”  The whole Little Free Library craze has been called “a global literacy movement” and “a global sensation.”

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On May 16, 2012, Little Free Libraries was officially established as a nonprofit organization.   That was the year things really took off.  The two men achieved their goal (2,510 libraries) in August 2012, well before their target date.  Then things really exploded. 

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One appeal of Little Free Libraries is that creating one is something that an ordinary person can easily achieve.  Start-up costs are minimal, you can finish a project in a weekend, you don’t need to be a professional woodworker, you end up with a tangible result, and it’s all for a good cause.

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Of course, anyone is free to create a neighborhood book exchange box, but there are advantages to registering it as an official “Little Free Library.”  If you register your library at www.littlefreelibrary.org, you’ll receive a sign to attach to the library that is engraved with a unique charter number.  You can then add your library to their on-line world map, which will help other people to find it.  You can also join their private Facebook page where nearly 5,000 members swap photos, advice, and stories. 

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The library caretaker is called the “steward.”  One library steward reported that on Halloween, the kids on his street were more excited about the little library than they were about the candy.

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Are you wondering where all those book boxes come from?  Some people design and build their own; other people buy one ready-made, or they buy a kit that requires minimal assembly.  (Plans and tips for builders are easy to come by, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.)  The shop at the Little Free Library site has several styles to choose from. ​

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There's an Old Order Amish carpenter by the name of Henry Miller who has constructed more than 2,000 Little Free Libraries by hand.

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If you can’t afford to buy or build a box, you may be able to get support -- either money or materials -- from a local business, school, church, fraternal organization, or maybe your place of employment.  Some people raise funds at crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, Gofundme, and Indiegogo.

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Outdoor boxes need to be protected from the elements.  If you build your own, use a rot-resistant wood (such as cedar), exterior paint, and several coats of sealer.  It’s nice for the books to be visible, so consider using a front door with a plexiglass panel.

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Little libraries should be situated in the front yard, near the sidewalk, in a place where it won’t be an obstruction for walkers, bikers, and drivers.  They are often mounted on a 4” x 4” post.  Good lighting is helpful, perhaps with a motion-activated sensor.

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With permission, people sometimes situate little libraries outside of their own yards.  Good locations include:  near a park, school, bus stop, transit center, beach, farmers market, or food pantry.  Other good locations would be inside a café, in the lobby of an apartment building, in a hospital waiting room, or anyplace where people are kept waiting.

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Some people who enjoy knitting and crocheting have been known to “dress” their library boxes with handcrafted “sweaters.”  Yarn-bombing is a type of street art.

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People who love gardens as much as they love books have found clever ways of combining the two hobbies.  Some little libraries include a green (vegetated) roof, vertical gardens on the sides, a flower bed or pot underneath, and perhaps even a place for a little vase of flowers.  Some libraries have an extra shelf (with envelopes, baggies, labels, and pens) for neighborhood seed sharing.  As Cicero noted, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

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One fringe benefit for library stewards is the occasional handwritten note that a grateful neighbor will leave in the book box.  One of them read, “Thank you for this little piece of heaven in a really crazy world!!”  The notes obviously scrawled by small children are especially touching.

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Reader’s Digest included the little library trend in their 2013 list of 50 Surprising Reasons we Love America.  Number 11 on their list was “Little libraries catch on.”

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At the Little Free Library website, people are encouraged to build their own libraries using recycled and reclaimed materials.  Sometimes you come across a clever creation made from an old cupboard or cabinet, a broken microwave oven, a mini fridge, an old barrel, a dollhouse, a vintage bread box, an old pinball machine, or a hollowed out tree trunk.  Old newspaper boxes – relics of an industry in decline -- are often given new life as Little Free Libraries. 

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We’ve seen little libraries decorated with bottle caps, beads, buttons, shells, keys, Legos, mosaic tiles, weather vanes, and flags.  Sometimes there’s a chalk board or bulletin board on the side.  Some of them truly deserve to be displayed in an art gallery.

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Sometimes you’ll find bonus content inside a little library, such as a poem, quotation, book review, or some homemade bookmarks.  Some stewards add a blank journal for comments, a community art book (that circulates), or hand-drawn maps of the local Little Free Libraries (with a dotted line to suggest a touring route).  Holidays might be celebrated with special book selections.

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Little Free Libraries have inspired bike tours, library crawls, scavenger hunts, geocaching expeditions, and similar “treasure hunts.”  Yes, you can buy a bumper sticker that reads “I brake for Little Free Libraries.”

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Small children enjoy taking pictures of Little Free Libraries that include their favorite toy or stuffed animal.

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Neighborhood libraries are all about sharing, and sharing seems to be contagious.  Now we’re starting to see Little Free Pantries, Little Free Galleries (with small works of art), Little Free Plants, Little Free Toys, and the like.

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The gift economy seems to enhance goodwill, social capital, and general happiness.  “Reciprocal altruism” is the term that describes nice things that people do for one another (such as gift giving and book sharing) without keeping track of exact values.  We have the expectation that their value will balance out over time.

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Books are great social ice-breakers that can give strangers permission to talk to one another.  When you’re done chatting about the weather, ask your neighbor if he’s found anything interesting in the local Little Free Library.

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Some people react to little libraries in the same way they react to babies and puppies (with a smile of delight).  Small, cute things give people a warm and fuzzy feeling.

WHICH IS CUTER?

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Realtors report that homes in neighborhoods with Little Free Libraries sell faster.  Prospective buyers get good vibes when they see them in the neighborhood, since they have come to symbolize sharing, trust, generosity, friendship, and neighborliness.

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When founder Todd Bol was deciding on a name for his first library, he considered “Box of Magic” or “Habitat for the Humanities” or simply “Free Book Exchange.”  In French, such a book box is called “Maison des Livres.”  In Spanish, it’s “Biblioteca Libre.”

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It’s fun and inspiring to browse through photos of Little Free Libraries at sites like Pinterest.  You’ll find little libraries that resemble old churches, boxcars, log cabins, cottages, castles, and the like.  You might even find an old-fashioned T.V., a VW bus, a UFO, a robot, Wall-E, R2-D2, and perhaps even a tiny replica of the Taj Mahal.

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Facebook headquarters in California has a Little Free Library made from a renovated telephone booth.

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One man who lives on a rural road in Georgia made his Little Free Library into a geocache site (as a way of attracting visitors to his remote location).   Go search for #6357 if you’re in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

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Little Free Libraries are sometimes launched with a block party and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  The steward might go door-to-door with flyers or bookmarks that explain the Little Free Library concept.  Neighbors might be invited to contribute a book.  Sidewalk chalk can direct people to the new library.

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One common refrain from new library stewards goes something like this:  “I’ve met more people in the past 10 days than I did in the past 20 years.”

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Stewards should keep book selections fresh and relevant by getting rid of outdated, obscure books of little general interest.  Windows 95 for Dummies can be tossed.  So can the 1987 edition of Let’s Go Europe and the Yugo repair manual.

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Some stewards with high literary standards (usually retired professors) purge their little libraries of low-brow content such as raunchy romance novels.  Some people also like to avoid controversial political and religious content.  It’s helpful to have two shelves or a divider to separate children’s books from those for adults.

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Little Free Libraries are especially valued in the more than 11,000 small towns across the United States that don’t have a public library.  Philanthropic, religious, and fraternal groups (such as Rotary, Lions, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, etc.) are stepping up to service them with Little Free Libraries as a way of promoting literacy.

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Little Free Libraries provide a little antidote to the social isolation that comes from too much time spent indoors in front of glowing rectangles.  As one person described, “it feels wonderfully analog in an exceedingly digital world.”

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Naturally, these libraries have inspired a lot of competitions for designers and architects (including the Architectural League of New York).  After the competitions, little libraries are auctioned off, donated, or sold.

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The Little Free Library movement isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.  Sadly, library stewards sometimes have to deal with freeloaders, moochers, vandals, and book thieves.  Some stewards label or stamp the books with “Always a gift, never a sale” (or similar wording) to prevent reselling.

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Stewards sometimes run into trouble with homeowners’ associations or city officials, and sometimes they are asked to remove or relocate their little libraries.  The neighborhood curmudgeon might complain about it being an eyesore (and sometimes it’s true).  Stewards should keep their libraries neat, attractive, and tasteful.

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Nine-year-old Spencer Collins of Leawood, Kansas, got in some trouble for his “illegal freestanding structure.”  His story went viral on social media, and he eventually won his battle against the city code enforcers.  (It helped that he received support from Lemony Snicket and the poet laureate of Kansas.)

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The little library trend is growing in more ways than one.  Some of these “little” libraries are now being constructed from old phone booths, rowboats, grandfather clocks, and the like.  To avoid getting a threatening “cease and desist” letter from local authorities, keep your little libraries neat, attractive, and LITTLE.

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Occasionally, you’ll come across a Little Free Library that exhibits “scope creep” (a.k.a. “the kitchen sink syndrome”) on full display.  A well-intentioned steward decides to add a bench next to his little library … then a full seating area … then a basket of surplus garden vegetables … then the “Little Free Treasure Chest” full of grubby old toys for kids … then a lemonade stand … and cookies … and a water bowl for dogs … plus dog biscuits … and pretty soon the place looks like a perpetual yard sale.  This is why we have homeowners associations and city code enforcers.

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Opening a little library box has an element of serendipity since the book selection frequently changes.  You might find something in there that stretches your mental muscles and exposes you to new ideas and new interests.  You might discover that someone in your neighborhood shares an interest in something you’re passionate about.

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At the time of this writing, there are over 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide in over 80 countries, with over a thousand more being added each month.  But in spite of its phenomenal international growth, it is still a grassroots movement.

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The definitive book on this subject is The Little Free Library Book by Margret Aldrich.  It’s a charming book and a heart-warming read.  It includes the history of the Little Free Library movement, personal stories from stewards, a resource guide, library building blueprints, lots of great advice, and over 350 color photographs of some of the most creative little libraries around.

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Lutie Stearns (born September 13, 1866) was “the Johnny Appleseed of librarians” and an inspiration for today’s trend.   In the years 1895 to 1914, she traveled all over the state of Wisconsin by stagecoach, train, and by sleigh, hauling crates of books and setting up temporary libraries in the state’s general stores and post offices.