Little Free Library was created in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin as a tribute to his mother, a teacher who adored reading. Todd filled his small schoolhouse model with books and put it on a post in his front yard. Neighbors and friends responded favorably and today, there are more than 75,000 libraries in 88 countries around the world.
Their mission reads: “Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.”
We think that is an inspiring mission and we thought it would be fun to explore ways you can start your own Little Free Library in your community. Through 5 easy steps, you can help spread the joy of reading, starting with your own neighborhood.
- Choose a site location and a Library Steward. This video gives step-by-step instructions on choosing a site, zoning laws, and suggestions for a successful site. Foot traffic is crucial and do mind the zoning laws!
- Build your library. You can purchase a pre-built library through LittleFreeLibrary.org, or you can build your own and register it. Libraries purchased through the non-profit arrive pre-registered and also include signage. You can also learn from others who have built their own Little Free Library by downloading their “10 Common Building Mistakes.”
- Register your library! Once you register, you’re official! How exciting is that? You’re now part of a worldwide quest to spread the love of books!
- Promote your library. “Build it, and they will come” is great, but promoting your free library will certainly help it gain popularity. Little Free Library offers some wonderful promotional materials to help you in your marketing efforts.
- Add your library to the World Map. Have a kick-off celebration and join the thousands of like-minded people who enjoy reading around the world. Be sure to include your official launch date in any press materials.
If building your own Free Little Library seems like a daunting task to you, you can still support the reading cause through donations to the organization. Book donations are also welcome through each library’s book donation box.
If you are interested in starting a Little Free Library at your Weidner community, please contact the leasing office! Let’s see what we can do together, whether it is starting one of our own, or gathering up some of our favorite books for this wonderful cause.
Here’s to spreading the joy of reading around the world!
-The Weidner Team