Mini lending libraries may sprout up in Asbury Park
City resident seeks to promote literacy, build community
Little Free Libraries have quickly become a worldwide trend, and one city resident is putting feelers out to see if the movement has traction in Asbury Park.
The mission of the Little Free Library organization is to promote literacy and community building through the placement of small, birdhouse-like structures that contain books. Books in the collection can be taken from or added to, by anyone, at no cost. They don’t have to be returned, and can even be replaced by a different book. Resident bibliophile Anita Weiner gave a presentation Tuesday in front of city council to explain the Little Free Library project, and to request the city council toss around the idea of placing one on city property.
“It is a nationwide program whose objectives are to encourage reading for children, adult literacy and to build a sense of community,” she said. “These little libraries sort of look like suped-up birdhouses and can be made and designed in different configurations.”
Weiner is still ironing out the details, but would like to form a nonprofit to accept monetary donations and book donations for all age groups, find interested homeowners who might volunteer to put them on their property, and to organize community building and decorating events.
“The possibilities are endless,” she said.
At least one resident and one nonprofit group in the city has expressed interest in the placement of a little library on their property, and the addition of one on city property would make the books “even more accessible,” she said.
The history of the Little Free Library movement starts in Hudson, Wi., where Todd Bol built a model of a one-room schoolhouse to honor the memory of his mother, filled it with books and placed it on a post in his front yard with a sign that read “Free Books.” Bols built several more and gave them away to friends and neighbors who appreciated his idea, according to the Little Free Library website. Since then, thousands of Little Libraries have been built.
If the addition of a Little Free Libraries network in the city is well received, Mayor Myra Campbell would like to see students and children in the community involved in the construction of the little houses, so that they are personally invested in the project.
“I very much believe if we can get the community involved in it they will appreciate, much more, what you are trying to do,” said Campbell.
Councilwoman Amy Quinn has agreed to be Weiner’s liaison between members of the project and the council as they work towards the possibility of finding a suitable location on city property that one of the little libraries can be placed.
Through the Little Free Library site, folks around the globe can purchase a ready-made library or the materials and instructions to construct and design their own library. The site also contains downloadable architectural plans for anyone handy enough to construct a little library using their own materials—additional creativity in design is highly encouraged. Once built and filled with books, the mini library can be registered through the organization who will ship an official Little Free Library sign and mark it on their worldwide map.
Each Little Free Library has a steward responsible for the maintenance of the structure. They ensure the library is stocked with books and “that nothing untoward has happened [to the structure] while people are taking books out,” Weiner said. Any homeowner can construct one of these birdhouse-like book nooks provided they place them within their property lines and remain good stewards.
Bradley Beach has two Little Free Libraries, one in front of the public school and another outside of the train station. Library director Janet Torsney was instrumental in leading the Bradley effort, which is how Weiner got the idea for a possible Asbury Park little lending library network, she said.
“The residents there are as happy as could be, because they want to live in a town whose efforts are to promote literacy and get people reading,” she said.
[Photo at top: Little Free Library 3,240, located on East Upper Lake Road, Hayden Lake, Id. Photo taken from the Little Free Library Flickr site.]
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