Rotary’s Hidden Influence: Little Free Libraries
Published in the May 2021 issue of Rotary magazine
Read the full story here.
As Todd Bol was doing a renovation project at his home in Wisconsin in 2009, an idea came to him. His late mother, June Bol, had been a schoolteacher who loved to read, so he took some scrap wood and, after a few days of hammering and painting, mounted what resembled a tiny schoolhouse filled with books on a post in his front yard, along with a sign that said "Free books."
Bol, who joined the Rotary Club of Hudson in 2012, soon started getting requests to build more of his little libraries. When demand outpaced his ability to fill the orders, he hired a carpenter and shared his design online. In 2012, he launched Little Free Library as a nonprofit.
Today, you can find little libraries around the globe. There’s a Little Free Library inside Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Virginia. In the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda, a Little Free Library is one of the few sources of books for the people who live there. North of the Arctic Circle in Finland, a Little Free Library boasts books in Finnish, English, and Chinese.
Rotary clubs have embraced the idea because of its focus on literacy — and also because the tiny libraries help bring people together.
"I live on a street out in the country just west of Minneapolis," says Catherine Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Cultural Exchange Enthusiasts (D5960). "I’ve loved having the library, as it has helped me continue to get to know my neighbors. During the pandemic, I added jigsaw puzzles for people to exchange."
Members and clubs alike began building libraries in communities large and small, making Little Free Library a testament to the power of Rotary’s network when armed with a simple, effective idea that’s easy to replicate. "The cost is minimal to get started, the opportunity for branding and having fun decorating is fantastic, and the libraries are an ongoing community project," says Smith.
Bol died in 2018, but his movement to spread his love of books and of community is still going strong.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Studies link exposure to books with better literacy rates, but more than 60 percent of poor children in the United States have no age-appropriate books at home.
• Through the Impact Library Program, Little Free Library provides free books in communities where books are scarce.
Learn more at littlefreelibrary.org.
