In the six or so years before my children were in school full-time, we visited local parks on a daily basis. My active kids needed to move their little bodies and yell their little (and big) yells and I needed sanity-saving space and fresh air.

One of our favorite spots featured a well-stocked Little Free Library (LFL) that housed books for kids and adults and everyone in between. Because of that LFL I rediscovered Ramona Quimby and Judy Blume and my children learned about talking chickens and Fly Guy and added even more Dr. Seuss to their already overflowing collection. Fresh discoveries awaited us every time we unhooked the pleasing latch on the library’s little front door.

If you’ve never seen a LFL before you might stop short–at first glance it appears to be a small house balanced on a pole. And in some respects, it is a house, except that no tiny people are living tiny lives inside. Instead, there are books. Free books, nestled on a shelf or two. Patiently waiting for a future reader to stroll by, open the door, and make a new friend (or a new reader…and aren’t they almost the same thing?).

A few years ago, it seemed as if a new LFL was cropping up on practically every street corner in my midsized Midwest city. Local LFL builders were part of a national (and now global) movement that began in Wisconsin when the son of a teacher built a small house in his front yard, mounted it on a post, and filled it with books as a tribute to his late and much admired book-loving mother. I would argue that the mere sight of a LFL can cause a surge of happiness and a decrease in blood pressure.

Recently, an exciting development! A LFL appeared in our very own neighborhood, close to the main entrance, easily spotted by anyone driving or walking by. 

It turns out the structure was built by a neighbor friend who saw a LFL in another neighborhood close by and decided ours needed one too. 

In his words: 

“We thought it might help bring a stronger sense of community…and would be seen by everyone driving through. It was a family project [my kids] helped with a tape measure, clipboard, paper and pencil and made a diagram of another LFL, taking measurements and writing them down, with emphasis on measure twice, write once. After that, I did the building, but my kids both helped paint and chose the outside artwork. [In the future] I would like to see a mix of adult and children’s books, but then also announcements of neighborhood events and/or maybe even a celebrations page of achievements in the neighborhood, birthdays coming up, lemonade stands, flyers for lawn mowing. It would also be fun to re-paint the sides of the library every year and have different families add their own artwork.”

-Chaz Sinn, LFL Builder and Owner of Guys and Dollies and Stir Cold Brew Coffee (sold at Bloomingfoods & Bloomington Bagel Company) 

Recently, I asked my kids to gather up some books they have outgrown so that we can stock our new hyper-local LFL with titles. I promised I’d add some of my own (a minor solution to major book-hoarding tendencies, bonus!). After all, donating books is the least we can do after years of benefiting from the literary generosity of others.

Who would expect that behind such a small front door would live the big power of new ideas, industrious neighbors, and books?