Little Free Library

History

The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin. He mounted a wooden container designed to look like a one-room schoolhouse on a post on his lawn and filled it with books as a tribute to his mother, who was a book lover and school teacher. Bol shared his idea with his partner, Rick Brooks, and the idea spread rapidly, soon becoming a "global sensation." Little Free Library became an official nonprofit organization in 2012.

The original goal was the creation of 2,150 Little Libraries, which would surpass the number of libraries founded by Andrew Carnegie. As of November 2016, there were 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide.

The Little Free Library nonprofit has been honored by the National Book Foundation, the Library of Congress, Library Journal, and others for its work promoting literacy and a love of reading. The Little Free Library Book by Margret Aldrich (Coffee House Press, 2015), chronicles the movement.

How Little Free Libraries Work

A Little Free Library is a neighborhood book exchange where anyone passing by can take a book to read or leave a book for someone else to find.

Little Free Library owners, known as "stewards" can purchase a Library box at littlefreelibrary.org, or they can create their own and register it on the website. Stewards of registered Little Free Libraries receive a sign for their Library that reads "Little Free Library" and features an official charter number. Registered Little Free Libraries are eligible to be featured on the Little Free Library World Map, which lists locations with GPS coordinates and other information.

Little Free Libraries of all shapes and sizes exist, from small, brightly painted wooden houses to a larger library based on Doctor Who's TARDIS.

Programs and activities

The Little Free Library nonprofit maintains robust programming to help bring people together, celebrate the joy of reading, and encourage positive community action. Key examples:

Global impact

While the majority of Little Free Libraries are in the United States, the book exchanges can be found in countries around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Armenia, Pakistan, Qatar, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and more.

Censure

Little Free Libraries are typically welcomed by communities; if zoning problems arise, however, local governments often work with residents to find solutions. In late 2012, the village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, denied permission to potential Little Free Library projects and required that an existing Little Free Library be removed because of a village ordinance that prohibited structures in front yards. Village trustees also worried about inappropriate material being placed in the boxes. However, in August 2013, the village approved a new ordinance that specifically allowed Little Free Library boxes to be put up on private property.

In June 2014, city officials in Leawood, Kansas shut down a Little Free Library under a city ordinance prohibiting detached structures. The family of the nine-year-old boy who built the structure created a Facebook page to support the amendment of Leawood's city code. Another resident of the city who erected a Little Free Library was threatened with a $25 fine. In July, the city council unanimously approved a temporary moratorium to permit Little Free Libraries on private property.

On January 29, 2015, the Metropolitan Planning Commission in Shreveport, Louisiana shut down a Little Free Library. Zoning administrator Alan Clarke said that city ordinances only permitted libraries in commercial zones and that of the all Little Free Libraries in Shreveport, the one that was shut down had “bothered someone.” The following month, the city council temporarily legalized book exchange boxes until the zoning ordinances could be amended to permanently allow them.