Thirteen long years ago, not only were there no airpods, Iphone Xs, or NFTs, there was only one little free library. These libraries quickly spread throughout the nation like wildfire, cultivating a love for reading. Small boxes full of books, the only rule being ‘give one, take one’ began to reignite a passion for not only reading, but for fostering a community of avid readers.

“I think it’s great to have books out for the community,” librarian Melissa Rizer said. “There’s still a lot of people that don’t come to the library regularly, so to get literacy and books in the hands of people out and about is fabulous.”

Rizer loves the creativity of the libraries, even mentioning one near Kercheval that is made from a repurposed newspaper box.

“I live over by Central [Library], and there’s one that somebody built, and it’s super nice, it’s got a little roof and everything. I love repurposing an item, as well. It’s fun to see the creativity of people,” Rizer said.

Ella Johnson, sophomore and avid reader, shares a fond opinion of the libraries.

“They are a really cool part of the community that can open up any reader to a completely new genre and style of book for free,” Johnson said. “It allows the community to be linked by the books that they pick up and the books that they leave for others to enjoy.”

Isaac Dittrich ‘22, who has a little free library on his lawn, says that oftentimes people walking by will take interest, usually in the summer rather than winter. He also notes that before the pandemic, mostly adults stopped by, but since then many kids have started utilizing the library. Watching from afar definitely provides a new perspective for Dittrich.

“It’s fun to see what books come in and out, and to watch kids get excited over new things to read,” Dittrich said.”It’s a fun and easy way to get a new book, and we try to make an effort to keep the books diverse.”