At #alaac24, I remember stopping by the Little Free Library booth in The Library Marketplace. Though I had seen Little Free Libraries around before—and always smiled when I saw one—I never took or left a book, much less thought about starting my own. You might say I stopped to smell the flowers but never picked or planted one. But that day at #alaac24, the seed for a Little Free Library hitched a ride back to North Central Florida.

Currently a full-time graduate research assistant, I live walking distance from the elementary school I used to teach at. What I don’t live walking distance from is a public library. Which means that the children zoned for “my” school don’t either. Going to the public library after school is one of my fondest childhood memories. As I reminisced on this while writing a previous blog post, the seed from #alaac24 began to germinate—I realized a Little Free Library could make the book desert that is my neighborhood a more hospitable environment for children’s literacy. 

Serendipitously, a childhood friend gifted me the library structure. However, as I unpacked the box it came in, priming, painting, and assembly seemed like the easy part of establishing my Little Free Library. How would children find my library when I live on a quiet street off the main road?

I decided to register my Little Free Library. If you purchase the library structure from Little Free Library, this is included. However, if you acquire your library structure elsewhere—like I did—registration costs $49.95 plus shipping for the charter sign. This puts you on the Little Free Library world map, available through their website or the Little Free Library app. 

In past blogs, I’ve spoken about the importance of strong relationships across the ecosystem of children, literacy, and libraries. These relationships are what will allow my library to thrive. Like any ecosystem, some organisms are more obvious—alligators, cypress trees, squirrels. Can you tell I live in North Central Florida? And while my Little Free Library might be more underground—an earthworm, perhaps—it is nonetheless an essential part of the ecosystem of children, literacy, and libraries. 

What role do Little Free Libraries play in your local ecosystem of children, literacy, and libraries? Drop a line in the comments or at ktaksier@ufl.edu.

This blog post relates to ALSC Core Competency I: Commitment to Client Group.

The post All Libraries Great and Small: Little Free Library and the Children’s Literacy Ecosystem appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 At #alaac24, I remember stopping by the Little Free Library booth in The Library Marketplace. Though I had seen Little Free Libraries around before—and always smiled when I saw one—I never took or left a book, much less thought about starting my own. You might say I stopped to smell the flowers but never picked or planted one. But that day at #alaac24, the seed for a Little Free Library hitched a ride back to North Central Florida. Currently a full-time graduate research assistant, I live walking distance from the elementary school I used to teach at. What I don’t live walking distance from is a public library. Which means that the children zoned for “my” school don’t either. Going to the public library after school is one of my fondest childhood memories. As I reminisced on this while writing a previous blog post, the seed from #alaac24 began to…
The post All Libraries Great and Small: Little Free Library and the Children’s Literacy Ecosystem appeared first on ALSC Blog.  Read More

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