Need something to read? Check your neighbor's yard for a free lending library

Courtesy of Facebook post by Max Weiss of Oak Park, Ill.

A friend shared on Facebook today the photo at left of a "Little Lending Library," which was originally posted by Illinois homeowner Max Weiss. I thought, 'What a cool idea!' 

After some Googling, I found there's an organization, Little Free Library, that promotes building and establishing the tiny book exchanges. 

According to an Aug. 12, 2012, article "Lending through Little Libraries" in the Albany, OR, Democrat-Herald, "Todd Bol of Hudson, Wis., developed the Little Free Library program about three years ago as a public way to recognize his mother, a teacher who enjoyed books and encouraged others to read. He built a box, filled it with books and then created a sign that read 'Free Book Exchange.' He put the box on a post outside his house and told neighbors to take a book to read and put another one in the box."

Little Free Library also works to help communities that cannot support a library set up these cool book boxes. Little Free Library's mission is "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; and To build more than 2,510 libraries around the world - more than Andrew Carnegie - and then more." They have lots of success stories in the U.S., as well as one in Ghana.

Per the Democrat-Herald article, here's how it works:

• Participants build, install and register their libraries at www.littlefreelibrary.org and then open up for "business."
• Librarians fill the boxes with books and invite anyone who wants to take any book home to read. Readers are asked to put other books back in the box so the selection continually rotates.

Courtesy Little Free Library

The lending libraries are sort of a take on a mailbox, but bigger, and usually include decorative touches and windows. They can be as fancy or as plain as the owner wants.

The boxes are "essentially a nicely designed, weatherproof hutch mounted on poles, which contain a collection of about 20 books and a sign that reads 'Take a Book, Leave a Book,'" according to an Aug. 4, 2011, article "In Pursuit of Andrew Carnegie, One Little Free Library at a Time," from Library Journal Archive on the Little Free Libraries.

Courtesy Little Free Library

Courtesy Little Free Library

In that article, Michele Erikson, the executive director of Wisconsin Literacy Inc., said, "I think [the little library] has a lot of potential to grow and spread the love of reading. What I think is most exciting is it brings the community together around reading, which is the core of what we do, and it gets us back to that face-to-face discussion when everything else is so electronic nowadays."

Here's a transcript from a March 7, 2012, "All Things Considered" broadcast "Little Free Libraries Hope For Lending Revolution" on NPR. (You can also listen to the 4-min broadcast via the link).

Like the idea? Little Free Library offers detailed plans (free, although tax deductible contributions are accepted) on its site to build your own little library, also sells finished and unfinished boxes, at prices ranging from $250 to about $1,000.

The site also includes many photos of finished boxes (some are pictured here) and lots of advice and encouragement.

Courtesy Little Free Library

Courtesy Little Free Library

I'm excited to learn about this because The Mercury recently established a free lending library in our new Community Media Lab. It's so new, we haven't created any signs yet, and visitors to are lab have been hesitant to borrow one of our books, audiobooks or DVDs. 

Today I contacted Little Free Library to make us a sign (they offer to do so for free!) Next, The Mercury can register the lending library on their site for about $25 and it will become part of a large national locator map on their site. 

When I visited the map, I found three privately established "Little Free Libraries" not too far from Pottstown. The closest ones to me are located in Myerstown, Lebanon, Doylestown, Upper Black Eddy and Easton.

The interactive map tells you how to contact the library owner, where on the property it is, who it is dedicated to (they are often erected in honor of a loved one) and even supplies photos of each location. The photos of the PA libraries were copyrighted, so I couldn't show them here, but they are much like these other examples I found on the LFL site.

Psssst ... There's a free lending library at The Mercury's Community Media Lab

Today I'm writing from The Mercury's brand new Community Media Lab, where the newpaper offers the public free WiFi, the use of three computers, a microfilm machine to look up past editions of the paper, and space to hold a meeting or small gathering.

The lab is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday immediately adjacent to the offices of The Mercury at 24 N. Hanover St., Pottstown (located at the intersection of King and Hanover streets). The lab celebrated its grand opening on July 20.  It is usually staffed by Mercury Community Engagement Editor Diane Hoffman, but sometimes she gets to have a day off and people like me fill in.

Our lending "library" at the lab.

At the lab we also have a small lending library of books on loan from various Mercury staffers. Our "library" consists of just one 3-tiered bookshelf, but on it you'll find a fair sampling of books in lots of different genres.

There's an 8-book collection of Anita Shreve novels (great for the beach!); various mystery/suspense/thriller novels by writers including Mary Higgins Clartk, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, and Thomas Harris; non-fiction writing including Jon Krakauer's amazing book "Into the Wild" and Stephen King's "On Writing"; and some of my personal picks, which include "The Book of Ruth" by Jane Hamilton (dark and deep) "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (mysterious and engrossing) and "Turtle Moon" by Alice Hoffman (magical and enchanting).

We had a total of 5 visitors today!

We are also in the lending library some how-to books - "The Garden Primer,"  and "Train Your Dog in One Hour" and even some nonfiction offerings from local (Pottstown!) writers: "The Chiropractic Way to Health" by Leo McCormick, Darryl Hajduczek and Roger Walker: as well as the extremely well done "Save Our Land, Save Our Towns" by former Mercury Editor Thomas Hylton. We also have a copy of the stellar documentary that accompany's Tom's book.

There are also several copies of Mercury Reporter Evan Brandt's "The Hidden River" series, which have been in demand since he wrote the newspaper series on the Schuylkill River way back in 2001. That's how good it is!

Some Mercury staffers including me and Mercury Editor Nancy March plan to note some of our book recommendations (just like those staff picks you see at a bookstore) and rotate them each months. So far, we still need to make the staff pick signs, but Nancy has put her recommendations of Frank McCourt's "Teacher Man" and Philly writer Mark Bowden's "Black Hawk Down" atop the shelf. Mine are those mentioned above.

We're also open to having "guest picks" - Do you have any good books you'd care to recommend? Please comment below!

A view of the lab at the end of open hours today.

Stop by check out the community media lab and our lending library. Search the 'Net, sit and read in our cushy new microfiber loveseat from Pottstown's own Lastick Furniture or take a book home for free (we just ask that you sign it out ... and promise to bring it back).

It's 100 degrees out today, but it's a cool 72.1 here in the lab. It's a nice place to stop for a cup of $1 coffee (we have a Keurig), hold a small meeting, work on our new computers or peruse some microfilm copies of The Mercury going back to 1933.

Come see us!