Little Free Libraries Beneath the Surface
I posted on my stories the other day that during a long walk in a neighborhood near where we used to live in Charlotte, NC, I passed at least 7 Little Free Libraries. They were all in front of single-family homes except for one that was in front of a nonprofit devoted to advocacy for children. Although I didn’t open them all, I could do a casual glance inside…they were *very* well-stocked. Lots and lots of books — many of them hardcover, many of them very “smart” titles.
Did you know that these little boxes can stir up a bit of controversy? For some, LFLs are seen as signs of unwelcome gentrification or something kind of twee like drinking your water out of a mason jar and thinking that’s more sustainable than a normal glass. Little Free Libraries generally work really well in neighborhoods like the one I strolled through, which is absolutely great. But it’s a bit of a trope nonetheless.
As a LFL “steward” myself (#official), I’m a member of a Facebook group for people who oversee LFLs. They are the best people on the internet, bar none. This is a group of 13,000 people who are passionate about sharing books with others. Holy smokes, some of them are VERY passionate: spreadsheets of books they circulate, activities for children, taking requests, social media presences for their LFLs. And from what I can tell, the majority who post (which of course is just a fraction) do *not* live in neighborhoods like the aforementioned. Some live in rural areas, some live in communities of manufactured homes, some live fulltime in popular vacation spots (like my in-laws), some live in very urban areas. Some oversee LFLs associated with a place of worship or community center. And, yes, some do have to worry about vandalism. However, I’d guess that the majority of stewards I see posting probably do not care about what having a LFL “communicates” about them. They care about books. And community. And being a — surprise! — good steward of both.
Like most things in life, if you look beneath the surface and “get to know” (or join a Facebook group with) a diverse group of people, you realize there’s never a single story.
Just some thoughts during a weekend walk.
originally published on instagram