Tiny Little Libraries Popping Up Everywhere

Alexander Brotherton. Greenville, SC. 

Aren't they adorable? These Little Free Libraries™ are popping up all over the world. Cities, suburbia, and rural communities are all embracing the pay it forward idea of "Take a Book, Leave a Book." Such brilliance seems so logical, but why has it taken so long for someone (obviously more clever than me) to come up with this? Todd Bol, of Hudson, Wisconsin started the trend as a tribute to his mother, a former teacher, who passed away. He built a tiny school house, filled it with books, and set it out front of his house. The idea was an instant hit. Eventually he met Rick Brooks and the two of them set their sights on a bigger idea: Make a true movement of Little Free Libraries™ as an altruistic endeavor. Here is what they decided:

• Our Mission: To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.
• Our Goal: To build 2,510 Little Free Libraries™—as many as Andrew Carnegie—and keep going.
• Key Strategies: Promote reading for children, literacy for adults and libraries around the world.

Today there are thousands of these little buildings spread out around our big, blue marble. You should go check out the gallery of little libraries folks have built. They really are as diverse as the people themselves.

You can find a Little Free Library™ by looking on their Little Free Library MAP. If you choose to build one, you can then register it on their site and you will be added to their map as well!

Ok, so you can't afford to buy one, but you would like to build one? Check out this video:

You can also get free plans for each of these styles by clicking the links:

Kalamazoo Little Free Library Plans
Johnson Creek Little Free Library Plans
Dale Melenberg's Little Free Library Plans

Don't forget, you can get some inspiration from the gallery on Flickr as well as on Pinterest, just be sure to register your house as the name "Little Free Library" trademarked. The fee is just $35 and they send you a sign to put on your library as well as add you to their map. Win win for all!

Have your seen or used a Little Free Library™ in your area?