by Michelle Varem
If you ever get out for walks around the community, you may have noticed some fun little birdhouse looking boxes here and there filled with books. These are Little Free Libraries, where community members are encouraged to freely pass along books they have loved and choose new ones that interest them.
According to their official website, Little Free Libraries (LFLs) got their start in Wisconsin, when Todd Bol built a box for his lawn and filled it with books to share with neighbours. He created it as a tribute to his mother, who was a teacher and an avid reader. This was incredibly well received, and his idea grew into a registered non-profit that now has over 150,000 registered boxes in more than 120 countries across the globe.
We have several in our neighbourhood, but only two registered on the official LFL website (Elveden Drive and Elkton Way). There are a couple across the street from Griffith Woods School and on the pathway behind Springborough Way as well. Most of them are well kept and a variety of books across different genres can be found year-round.
Despite the boxes sometimes only having a few older books and the odd pair of abandoned gloves (here’s your reminder to put only books in the boxes please!), on occasion you can snag something special. Many kind-hearted Calgary bookworms regularly thrift popular books and refresh nearby little free libraries for the benefit of those in their neighbourhood. Every so often publishers will even pass along extra Advanced Reader Copies of new releases to readers and request that they be dropped in a nearby LFL for someone to find as a happy surprise.
The moral of the story here is always take a peek in the little book boxes when you’re passing by you never know what literary treasures and new favourites you might find!
If you’re interested in learning more about Little Free Libraries, check out the official website at littlefreelibrary.org.
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