Photo Gallery: A Look at Little Free Libraries

Local bookstores are becoming harder to find, but readers worldwide are helping to ensure that books still play a role in making a community a great place to live

Take a Book, Leave the Flowers

A purple Little Free Library is surrounded by wildflowers in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, Minnesota | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

In big ways and small, Little Free Libraries similar to the one pictured here help make communities more livable. Learn why they exist, where they're located and, if you're so inspired, how to create one for where you live.

This Schoohouse Rocks

The original little library was modeled after a one-room schoolhouse

Photo courtesy Little Free Library

In 2009, Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, built a model of a one-room schoolhouse in honor of his mother, a former teacher. He put the little building on a post in his front yard and filled it with books to give away.

Once Upon a Time

A mother and son read a book next to a Little Free Library in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Bol's neighbors and friends liked his little book box, so he built more and gave them away. In 2012, Little Free Library became a nonprofit, and the idea grew into a global movement.

Books for Kids and Adults

Two house-like Little Free Libraries, one colorful, one all-white, stand as neighbors.

Enfield, Ireland | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

By the end of 2016, more than 50,000 Little Free Libraries of varying sizes and styles had been installed in all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries.

The Little Free Library Mission

A young girl and a girl toddler sit on a brick path and read books in front of a little library.

Phoenix, Arizona | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Little Free Library describes itself as an "organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world."

Books for Girls and Boys

A young girl in St. Louis and a young boy in Calgary pose with Little Free Libraries

St. Louis, Missouri | Calgary, Canada | Photos courtesy Little Free Library

A Little Free Library can be made out of anything, including an old newspaper box. Interested donors can help place Little Free Libraries where they're needed most by donating to the nonprofit's Impact Fund.

Self-Service Shopping

Three children visit a Little Library in Mountainlake Terrace, Washington

Mountlake Terrace, Washington | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Initially referred to as Habitats for the Humanities and Houses of Stories, the name Little Free Library came about because that's what users were calling the book distribution boxes.

The Little Book Swap

Two women look at books at a Little Free Library in Appleby, United Kingdom

Appleby, England | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

As "Take a Book, Return a Book" free book exchanges, Little Free Libraries are like mini town squares where people can share books with neighbors.

A World of Books

A preschool-age girl holds a book about Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Lawrence, Kansas | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Hosts (or stewards) are asked to register their structures for adding to the online Little Free Library World Map. The book exchanges operate on the honor system. Readers may take a book without leaving one, but adding is encouraged.

Homemade or Ready-Made

Estes Park, Colorado | Sandy Spings, Georgia | Photos Melissa Stanton and Little Free Library

The cost to build a little library varies based on the materials and labor involved. Ready-made libraries range from $149 to $995, and kits are also available. A Little Free Library registration fee includes an engraved charter sign.

Custom Construction

A little library called the Cherry Tree Children's Library

Traverse City, Michigan | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Library makers are encouraged to use their imaginations for how they want their book sharing structures to look. The Little Free Library website offers plans and tips for library builders.

Books Bloom in the Desert

Tuscon, Arizona | Photo courtesy Little Free Library

Library stewards are encouraged to use their libraries for community activities, such as for a summer reading club, children's story time, a book club or holiday gift exchange.

Giving Back

A library-sponsored Little Free Library has seating for two.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Photo by Rebecca Delphia

Little Free Library's Action Book Club invites people to "read books on timely topics" and "take part in meaningful — and fun — service projects to benefit their communities." This library was created by a community garden volunteer.

Don't Forget to Shut the Door

Arlington, Virginia | Photo by David Goodman

Oh, wait. The pulley and weight on this Little Library, built by an architect and his three young daughters, is the engineering for a self-closing door. Library doors do need to be closed to protect the books from wind, rain and snow.

Self-Serve for All Sizes

A little boy shuts the door of a little library in Minneapolis and a two-story little library offers up books in Bangor, Maine

Minneapolis, Minnesota | Bangor, Maine | Photos from Little Free Library and Melissa Stanton

Kids can be in charge of a library. Businesses and police or fire departments can adopt a library. Bibliophiles can share books — including, in the case of the blue library, those by a famous neighbor. (Can you guess who?)

A King's Castle

The Bangor, Maine, home of author Stephen King features a red exterior, a turret and an insect-themed iron gate.

Bangor, Maine | Photo by Melissa Stanton

Author Stephen King doesn't have a Little Free Library at his spooky, gated home, which is a fan attraction. If he's in need of a read or wants to donate copies of The Shining or Misery, he can take a short stroll to his neighbor's little library.

_{Melissa Stanton is the editor of AARP.org/Livable and an AARP Livable Communities senior advisor

Page published July 2017}

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