Seeking out local Little Free Libraries

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/04/2019 (2545 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Take a book, return a book” is the foundation of the Little Free Library trend that began when Todd H. Bol built the first small structure in 2009 in Wisconsin to honour his mother. He used wood from his old garage door to make it. When he died in 2018, the Little Free Library movement had spread to 85 countries.

This concept has intrigued me for years. I have seen them around the city but have never stopped at one.

The Winnipeg Public Library is supportive of the movement. Their website indicates if you are a “steward” of a Little Free Library, as a not-for-profit you can stock your library with as many books as you need free of charge from their branches used book sales.

The site also has a click-on map that shows the locations of the LFLs in Winnipeg. You can also use it to see sites around the world.  I picked two nearby locations to visit. Fortunately, I phoned Victoria General Hospital before going there. They no longer have one.

My next stop was on Pasadena Avenue but no LFL was visible. Perhaps it was removed for the winter months, or maybe it is no longer being operated. However, striking out twice didn’t deter me.

A few days later I chose three more locations — Bairdmore School, and addresses on Scurfield Boulevard and Shaftesbury Boulevard. The school LFL is conveniently located beside a bench. I browsed through the contents, and, appropriately, the majority of the books were for elementary students. The Scurfield address was another school. The map didn’t indicate that. I didn’t stop.

The Shaftesbury Little Free Library has a plaque saying it is the “Pelton Public Library.”

The structure was absolutely filled with books. I chose two: a 2018 David Baldacci thriller and A.J. Finn’s 2018 book The Woman in the Window. Both are authors I haven’t read before. I left a Bryan Sykes book.

If building an LFL intrigues you, the online Little Free Library site, at littlefreelibrary.org, is a good starting point. The organization is non-profit and “aims to inspire a love of reading, build community, and spark creativity by fostering neighbourhood book exchanges around the world.” More than 75,000 Little Free Library public book exchanges have been registered.

The site offers plans for building a structure, a free insider’s guide to starting an LFL with lots of tips, a worldwide location map, signs that can be purchased, and so on.

If you have a book or two to share, perhaps a visit to some of these libraries around the city would be a fun excursion. Although I drove to the sites, walking makes access much easier.

Happy building, sharing and reading.

Jeannette Timmerman is a community correspondent for Richmond West.