 A Little Free Library | |
| Founded | 2009 (2009) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Todd Bol |
| Type | 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization[1] |
| 45-4043708[2] | |
| Purpose | To be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries.[3] |
| Headquarters | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Greig Metzger[4] | |
| Revenue | $4,350,241[5] (2021) |
| Expenses | $3,489,818[5] (2021) |
| Employees | 13[5] (2022) |
| Volunteers | 60,000[5] (2022) |
| Website | littlefreelibrary |
Little Free Library is a501(c)(3)nonprofit organization[1] that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of apublic bookcase. More than 150,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free Libraries. Through Little Free Libraries, present in 115 countries, millions of books are exchanged each year, with the aim of increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.[6][7] The Little Free Library nonprofit organization is based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.[8]
The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by the lateTodd Bol inHudson, Wisconsin.[9] Bol mounted a wooden container, designed to look like aone-room schoolhouse, on a post on his lawn and filled it with books as a tribute to his late mother, a book lover andschool teacher who had recently died.[10] Bol shared his idea with his partner, Rick Brooks, and together they built and installed more of the bookhouses in different areas of theMidwestern United States.[10] After a while, the idea started to spread.[10][11]
Little Free Library officially incorporated as anonprofit organization on May 16, 2012,[12] and theInternal Revenue Service recognized Little Free Library as a501(c)(3)nonprofit organization later that year.[13][14]
Bol's original goal was the creation of 2,510 Little Libraries. This would surpass the number oflibraries founded byAndrew Carnegie, in a program where library buildings were constructed and endowed in cities across the United States.[15] That goal was met in 2012.[15]
The movement also was adopted internationally. By November 2016, there were 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries in 85 countries worldwide.[10][16] Margret Aldrich wroteThe Little Free Library Book to chronicle the movement.[17]
As of August 2019 the number of Little Free Libraries has increased to more than 90,000 such bookhouses in 91 countries around the world.[18]
Bol died from pancreatic cancer in October 2018.[19] M. Greig Metzger II joined the organization as executive director in July 2019.[20]
In July 2022, LFL moved its headquarters from Hudson, Wisconsin to St. Paul, Minnesota.[21]
The Little Free Library nonprofit has been honored by theNational Book Foundation, theLibrary of Congress,Library Journal, and others for its work promoting literacy and a love of reading.[22]
The Little Free Library organization has used funds raised to donate book exchanges through their Impact Library Program, champion diverse books through their Read in Color Program,[23] and create a reading program called the Action Book Club, which combines reading with community service.[24][25]
Like other public book exchanges, a passerby can take a book to read or leave one for someone else to find. The organization relies on volunteer "stewards" to construct, install, and maintain book exchange boxes. For a book exchange box to be registered and legally use the Little Free Library brand name, stewards must purchase a finished book exchange, a kit or, for aDIY project, a charter sign,[26] which contains the "Little Free Library" text and official charter number.[27][28]
Registered Little Free Libraries can appear on the Little Free Library World Map,[29] which lists locations with GPS coordinates and other information.[30] A Little Free Library mobile application[31] was introduced in 2022. It is free to download. Little Free Libraries are located around the world; the majority are located in the United States.
Little Free Libraries of all shapes and sizes exist, from small, brightly painted wooden houses to a larger library based onDoctor Who'sTARDIS.[30][32][33]
The organization also provides links to free plans for enthusiasts to build their own Free Library.[34]
Little Free Libraries are typically welcomed by communities; ifzoning problems arise, local governments often work with residents to find solutions.
In late 2012, the village ofWhitefish Bay, Wisconsin, denied permission to potential Little Free Library projects and required that an existing Little Free Library be removed because of a villageordinance that prohibited structures in front yards. Village trustees also worried about inappropriate material being placed in the boxes.[35] However, in August 2013, the village approved a new ordinance that specifically allowed Little Free Library boxes to be put up on private property.[36]
On June 17, 2015Portland, Oregon MayorCharlie Hales declared it "Little Community Kiosk day" in response to community confusion overright-of-way rules. On that day, he and the Portland City Council amended city code to allow for community kiosks such as Little Free Libraries in neighborhoods.[37][38]
In June 2014, city officials inLeawood, Kansas shut down a Little Free Library under a city ordinance prohibiting detached structures.[39] The family of Spencer Collins, the nine-year-old boy who built the structure, created aFacebook page to support the amendment of Leawood's city code.[40] Another resident of the city who erected a Little Free Library was threatened with a $25 fine.[41] In July, the city council unanimously approved a temporarymoratorium to permit Little Free Libraries on private property.[42]
On January 29, 2015, the Metropolitan Planning Commission inShreveport, Louisiana shut down a Little Free Library. Zoning administrator Alan Clarke said that city ordinances permitted libraries only in commercial zones and that the one that was shut down had “bothered someone.”[43] The following month, the city council temporarily legalized book exchange boxes until the zoning ordinances could be amended to permanently allow them.[44]
InNorth America, Little Free Libraries, and, implicitly, other public bookcases, have been criticized for being placed mostly in neighborhoods of wealthier, well-educated people, where there are already high-quality traditional public libraries nearby. The commentator encourages groups to assist neighborhoods where such facilities are lacking.[45]
In the August/September 2022 issue ofReason magazine, reporter Christian Britschgi wrote on Little Free Library's impact as part of a movement against cumbersome and overreachingzoning regulations in the United States:
The fact that a single three-feet-by-three-feet box of books can be illegal in two different ways illustrates the uphill battle homeowners can face when trying to set up their own libraries. The reams of rules governing what can go where in America's single-family neighborhoods set endless traps for unwary librarians... It would be easier to name the types of human activity that zoning laws don't restrict than to list all those they regulate. Even the most harmless activities can run afoul of these codes. But unlike most things tripped up by zoning regulations, Little Free Libraries have an impressive record of besting the rules imposed on them. As the country slowly rethinks the wisdom of laws restricting density and commercial activity in staid residential neighborhoods, Little Free Libraries may be leading the way.[46]
As of June 2019, the United States had more than 600 Little Free Pantries, and more can be found in Canada, The Netherlands and Australia. The Little Pantries function similarly to the libraries, as places where anyone can bring food and anyone can take food. Personal hygiene items such as soap and toothbrushes are also distributed. The first Little Free Pantry opened May 12, 2016 inFayetteville, Arkansas. Another 100 were installed within months, including pantries inNew Zealand. Items not allowed, according to informal rules, include razors, alcohol, and breakable glass containers.[47]
Blessing Boxes, which are similar to the Little Free Pantries, are often sponsored by churches. They provide a place for sharing food and other useful goods, such as clothing. People are encouraged to "pay it forward" and donate whatever they can, such as a can of beans. "The idea is that anyone walking by who may be struggling can use the goods to make ends meet and get through the day."[48]
The Little Free Library operates an Indigenous Library Program, which provides book-sharing boxes for installation ontribal lands, as well as in otherIndigenous communities in the U.S. and Canada. Starter LFL boxes come with two starter sets of books; one set of 25 books written and/or illustrated byBIPOC authors and artists, and the other set of 25 books with content centering Indigenous people and communities.[21][49] The organization also runs a Banned Books program, which distributes books that have been challenged or banned to box stewards, and an Impact Library Program, which distributes LFL boxes in communities with limited access to books.[50]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
