Like any kind of "community engagement" activity - determine if it's wanted by the community, if there is someone or organization you can partner with and how it will be sustained. We have something in many of our communities - public libraries! - which are major community building places with way more resources than books. Often their funding is being cut each year and they lack enough volunteers to provide all the services they want. How can a church support them with volunteers and resources or help them make the little free library an extension of themselves? I encourage you to read this article for the pros and cons of these libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/01/02/question-little-free-libraries/
Many times the little libraries are located in wealthy communities that have plenty of access to books (I think I counted 20+ in one East Grand Rapids neighborhood the last time I visited), without attention they can turn into eye sores, and they often lack the variety of books that might be of interest to that community.
Yes, these little structures are cute but are they serving the intended purpose? Our good ideas can be made better with partnership, community-driven, and sustainable approaches. Find out if neighbors want this, if it already exists and how can you build on it, or other alternatives for the purpose of encouraging reading and engaging. Other ideas could be a book swap between neighbors? A neighborhood book reading and discussion? A contest to see how many books kids (and adults!) can read and give out prizes at the end of the summer (many libraries do this too and would love to see churches help kids read!)? Or a children's book club or evening reading hour? Promoting a great resources like the local library is always a win! And if you don't have a local library - is having access to good books something your community could rally around together?
Posted in: Does Your Church Have a "Little Free Library"?
Like any kind of "community engagement" activity - determine if it's wanted by the community, if there is someone or organization you can partner with and how it will be sustained. We have something in many of our communities - public libraries! - which are major community building places with way more resources than books. Often their funding is being cut each year and they lack enough volunteers to provide all the services they want. How can a church support them with volunteers and resources or help them make the little free library an extension of themselves? I encourage you to read this article for the pros and cons of these libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/01/02/question-little-free-libraries/
Many times the little libraries are located in wealthy communities that have plenty of access to books (I think I counted 20+ in one East Grand Rapids neighborhood the last time I visited), without attention they can turn into eye sores, and they often lack the variety of books that might be of interest to that community.
Yes, these little structures are cute but are they serving the intended purpose? Our good ideas can be made better with partnership, community-driven, and sustainable approaches. Find out if neighbors want this, if it already exists and how can you build on it, or other alternatives for the purpose of encouraging reading and engaging. Other ideas could be a book swap between neighbors? A neighborhood book reading and discussion? A contest to see how many books kids (and adults!) can read and give out prizes at the end of the summer (many libraries do this too and would love to see churches help kids read!)? Or a children's book club or evening reading hour? Promoting a great resources like the local library is always a win! And if you don't have a local library - is having access to good books something your community could rally around together?