Little Free Libraries

I have to say I was charmed the first time I saw one of these Little Free Libraries. 

I didn’t really know what I was seeing but it was pretty easy to figure out and intrigued me enough when I spotted my first one one a recent Girl’s Weekend to Charleston, South Carolina that when I got home from my trip, I dug around online to learn more about them.

Charleston, SC is a delightful city.  We took the horse drawn carriage tour into some of it’s neighborhood’s and my camera was in overdrive.  So as we were moving our way up this street, I snapped this shot thinking to myself that if I lived here of course I would be jogging too! And then that little box just past that lucky runner who I was imagining to be myself caught my eye. 

There was what at first looked like an elaborate bird feeder to me but to my surprise it was filled with books.  I have a soft spot for libraries.  I loved to visit them when I was growing up and worked in one when I was in college.  Still love to visit and browse in a library.

The box I spotted had a little sign on it and I snapped the photo so I could investigate when I got home.  The boxes are called Little Free Libraries and they are springing up all over the country and all around the world.  The premise is a simple one.  “Take A Book, Return A Book”.  Making books available right there in one’s own neighborhood.

Check out this cute video that explains how it works.

    

  And the creativity!!  Just look at how adorable some of these Little Libraries are.   And what a great way to recycle an old newspaper box.

          

Love the book roof on this first one.

And oh my, I love little red mushrooms.  What a cute idea for a book box. 

Have you spotted one in your neighborhood?