I want my own Little Free Library.
What is a Little Free Library?
Little Free Library is "a “take a book, return a book” gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share. You can, too!"
Recently, upon moving into our new place downtown, we stumbled upon a little library across the street. A blue box in the form of a tartis (from the television series Dr. Who) caught our attention, so naturally we walked across the street to give it a look. On the box, in addition to two rows of books, it gave a searchable charter number and website. We went back to our place and immediately began our research on the library. Turns out, you can locate each library in any given city using this number! I had heard about these beauties awhile back, but had forgotten about it till a couple of months ago when Allan and I drove past a large, red English telephone booth full of books. It has a cute bench placed next to it, one which welcomes visitors to take a book and read it at the bench or take a book, and leave one in its place.
There are currently 20+ in Bakersfield, all of which are easy to locate via an online map through the organization's website. Not only do I hope to visit each of them, but I also hope to add a Wheeler edition to the map some day! It's a great way to promote a culture of reading and sense of community in one's own city. Check out these links to gain more information and see how these libraries have made their way into my own community!