actionread.blogspot.com: Free Little Libraries

by Denia Anderson, Literacy Program Assistant

Have you noticed recently as you walk around Guelph small wooden box houses in the front yard of homes? Filled with favourite books, these Little Free Libraries have taken off and are spreading worldwide, with over 15,000 and counting! In Guelph there are 7 registered libraries, at last count. The idea was started in 2009 by a Wisconsin man who wanted to create a meaningful tribute to his mother, who had been a school teacher with a love of reading. His vision was to create a book exchange in his community to enrich literacy and to bring people together. And this is exactly what Little Free Library owners report is happening!

Much like Action Read, the Little Free Libraries rely on strong community involvement to work well. The ‘take a book, leave a book’ approach allows people to give to others but also be rewarded in return. Some Little Libraries even have a guest book where people can write reviews or comments about the books they have read! We can all learn from each other and literacy is a great way to do so.

Action Read recently received a very generous donation of new books from The Retired Teachers’ Association. This gift will allow us to clear out some of the older, gently used favourites that line our bookshelves, and share these with others in the same spirit as the Little Libraries. In the fall, Action Read’s writing group will deliver these gently used books to the local Little Free Libraries in the hopes of sharing our love of reading with others.

Make sure you check out these wonderful community gems to get your hands on a great book!

Find One Here In Guelph:

· Liverpool Street

· Water Street

· Avondale Avenue

· Kirkland Street

· Aspenwood Place

· Valleyridge Trail

· Carrington Drive