I recently attended the Minnesota Library Association Conference in Mankato and was fortunate to hear Todd Bol speak on Little Free Libraries. You are asking yourself, what are Little Free Libraries? These are libraries that are popping up all over the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world. Todd created a small replica of a one-room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, filled it with books, and placed it in his front yard. His main objective was to get books into the hands of people who did not have access to libraries in their towns. People started coming and looking at the library, then they started borrowing the books and replacing them with some of their own. Soon people started telling others about this unique idea. It didn’t take long before other communities were asking how they could get a library of their own.

His presentation got me thinking. What would it take to get a Little Free Library in my community? I went on the Little Free Library website, www.littlefreelibrary.org, to see how a person would get started, how much it would cost, who can start a free library, where does it have to be located, etc. The steps to starting a Little Free Library include:

1. Decide where you are going to place the library in your community and who will be in charge (the Steward).

2. Do you want to build your own library? (there are no specifications as to size, material to make it out of, or how big it will be)

3. You can purchase a kit from them and assemble it yourself.

4. If you want to build your own, be sure to make it official and request your Steward’s pack and charter sign from Little Free Library.

5. If you order a kit, they will send you a Steward’s pack and charter sign.

6. Get your community involved.

7. When you have your library installed, celebrate!

In looking through the web site for Little Free Libraries, as of January 15, 2014, there were over 15,000 in 62 countries in the world. If one book a day would be taken from each of those libraries, there would be at least 5 million books being read by persons throughout the world in a year’s time! And that doesn’t even measure or count the number of persons who just stop and look at the libraries.

Little Free Libraries are for small towns, large cities, retirement communities, public housing, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and communities all over the world. Libraries are not limited to just one per community. Small towns may only have need for one library; larger cities would probably have more than one. Each neighborhood could have its own library. As long as you have someone who will be in charge (a steward), anyone or any town can have a Little Free Library. The Little Free Library organization would like to have each library registered so they can try to keep a record of how many libraries there are out there.

You may be wondering if there are liability issues connected with the Little Free Libraries. Be sure to get permission from the landowner (if it is not your property) to install the library, do not put it in the line of foot traffic, and keep it in good condition (fresh paint, clean, accessible) so people will want to use it. If you think there will be problems, you might want to check with a lawyer.

What if you run out of books? Don’t be afraid to ask the library users, neighbors, friends, and family members to donate books for the Little Free Library. If you are running out of books, leave a little note in the Library asking people for a certain type of book. Chances are you will get quite a few donations. If you borrow or take a book from a Little Free Library, feel free to contribute some of your books that you own. The books you borrow do not have to be returned, but it would help to keep the library going if you would share some of your books for others to read.

I could go on and on. If you are really interested in getting a Little Free Library going in your neighborhood, community, or living area, check out the their web site, www.littlefreelibrary.org. There is a wealth of information there to help you get one up and running. I know that there is at least one Little Free Library in New Ulm and one in Nicollet. When you drive around the area, keep looking for them.