In a post last year, I took notice of a charming sight at the Chautauqua Institution
in upstate New York: the presence of a “Little Free Library.” This free-standing
oversized mailbox holds free books that people can borrow. Now, I’m happy to
report, there’s one in my hometown of Englewood, at a bus stop only a couple of
blocks from my home.
Two weeks ago, the Friends of the Englewood Library dedicated this nifty little spot,
as small and inviting as a dollhouse. The box operates under a simple
principle: If you take a book, leave a book. It’s there for a three-month trial
period.
(The day I took the photo accompanying this post, there was a small but choice lineup for all ages: Matt Christopher’s Wingman on Ice, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, a Mary Higgins Clark title, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Successful Investing, and Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone.)
(The day I took the photo accompanying this post, there was a small but choice lineup for all ages: Matt Christopher’s Wingman on Ice, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, a Mary Higgins Clark title, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Successful Investing, and Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone.)
A movement started in 2009, the Little Free Library now can be found in 25,000 installations around
the world. Here’s hoping the citizens of Englewood take to it as readily as
those elsewhere who have found it a great way to promote literacy and the love
of reading.
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