Mobile Library

If you've read the past few posts, then you have noticed they have been about reading and books.  It's obvious I'm an avid reader.  And as an avid reader, I love nothing more than to pass on books to other readers or help influence others to become readers.  Reading is a passion of mine and I am firm believer that those who read, enjoy a lifetime of learning. 

Homeschooling has allowed me to encourage our boys to enjoy reading more than they did when they attended traditional school.  Our boys are required to read 30 minutes a day from a book of their choice.  I also read to them.  The books I read are usually books I want to use as discussion topics or they are books suggested as part of the unit we are learning. 

Because of my love for reading, I have built my own library.  I currently own hundreds of books I keep stashed in our hope.  I know, some would call it hoarding but I'm confident enough to call it building a library. I have built my library from books bought at thrift stores or online used book sites.  I rarely buy books brand new.  I've also acquired many books from friends and family who clean out and pass their unwanted books on to me.  It's not uncommon for me to inadvertently end up with more than 1 copy of a book or I've bought a book that after reading or try to read, I do not want it as part of my library. 

So I found myself with these 'leftover' books without the ability to throw them away.  And as I mentioned above, I love nothing more than pass them on. 

I had read about the "Little Free Library" movement and wanted start my own version of it for our neighborhood.  After looking around our home for something to put my leftover books in, I spotted one of my many wooden crates.  I filled it with most of the leftover books, including Christian fiction, secular fiction, non fiction, young adult and children's fiction.  I created a flyer to place in my crate explaining the concept.  I took my little mobile library to the neighborhood's park and left it and then picked up later that evening.

I then posted on our neighborhood's Facebook group page what I had done along with a picture of my crate of books.  There was such a positive reaction to my idea that within the day, I had been recruited to partition the neighborhood's Advisory Council to place "Little Libraries" throughout the neighborhood. 

Now I am working with 2 other residents to write and present the Little Free Library idea at one of the upcoming Advisory Committee meetings.  The proposal is to have at least 2 libraries...one for children and one for adults.  Having a Little Free Library box will be better suited than my crate as it's weather proof and a permanent fixture.  However, they do cost money and will have to be monitored because of the potential for vandalism and obvious inappropriate material left in the box.  We've already had one our residents volunteer to purchase one of the libraries. 

I'm excited about this opportunity and if the Advisory Committee doesn't approve, well, then I will just keep taking my little crate of books to different locations of our neighborhood with the hopes of encouraging others to read. 

I hope to have a future blog post with positive news regarding our proposal but until then, the link below will take you to the Little Library movement website for more info:

Little Free Library