Over the past five years, Little Free Libraries have popped up all over the world to provide people with free books and promote literacy. Photo: Flickr/BookusBinder, Manatee County Parks & Natural Resources
The sharing economy has grown significantly in recent years with everything from ridesharing and bike-sharing programs to community tool libraries cropping up across the country. Participants in this new economy choose to buy less and consequently produce less waste, while at the same time engaging with their communities.
Libraries are a centuries-old example of the sharing economy, but since 2009, a new kind of library has been emerging in neighborhoods throughout the United States and even around the world. You may have stumbled across a Little Free Library, a box of books set up so people can share literature and stories by taking or leaving a book, in your area. Little Free Libraries come in all shapes and sizes. Some even have unique architecture or serve as canvasses for paintings. Some libraries also have themes, focusing on books for children, adults, or gardeners or offering environmental field guides, like one Library at a nature center in Long Beach, Calif.
Caption: Many Little Libraries feature unique architecture. This one in Wauwatosa, Wisc., looks like a London phone booth. It’s located next to an elementary school, so it’s dedicated to children’s books. Photo: Flickr/BookusBinder, Laura Wainscott
Inspired by the work of libraries throughout history as well as by “take a book, leave a book” collections in coffee shops, the founders of Little Free Library began constructing Little Libraries in Wisconsin in 2009. Todd Bol of Hudson, Wis., built the first Library, which was shaped like a schoolhouse to honor his mother, a former teacher. Bol met Rick Brooks of Madison, Wis., at a seminar on local economies and green practices, and the two teamed up to create what would eventually become the Little Free Library nonprofit organization. The group’s mission is to foster a love of reading and literacy and to help build a sense of community.
The original Little Free Library was constructed by Todd Bol as a memorial for his mother who loved reading. Photo: Flickr/BookusBinder
Little Free Libraries initially spread throughout Wisconsin, but now there are Libraries worldwide in locations as far away as Australia, China and Uganda. Libraries can be registered with the nonprofit organization to receive official Little Free Library status and appear on the organization’s interactive world map. As of January 2014, there are between 10,000 and 12,000 registered Libraries worldwide, and that number continues to grow.