Becoming a Little Free Library Steward
Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved seeing tiny libraries whenever I travel. Converted hutches, wooden boxes, steel cases… There’s seemingly no end to the creativity of these Little Free Libraries. Anyone want to guess what my favourite Animal Crossing: New Horizons item is?! Little Free Library is a not-for-profit organisation based in the US, whose mission is to bring free books to everybody. Anybody can become the steward of a library, registering theirs with the Little Free Library network. And, last summer, I thought to myself: ‘I’d love to run one of my own!’
Often, Little Free Libraries are pitched in stewards’ front gardens but since I don’t own my home and I wanted to maintain a level of privacy (the LFL is added to a public map), I decided to try and set one up in a public space in my small hometown. Many months later, I am at last the steward of my own Little Free Library.
The first steps
My first port of call in my Little Free Library project was to contact our local council, because this would hopefully be set up in a public place. It was relatively easy to find relevant email addresses as our council website helpfully lists a contact for every category. I made an educated guess as to which departments could be useful and noted these down.
Then, I had a good think about where I wanted to put my LFL. I narrowed it down to two spots in the end: a park close to where I live, and one a little further away but that I regularly visit all the time. The reasoning for this was simple: I’d need to regularly visit the spot to maintain the library! And, of course, I wanted to be able to regularly use it to share and take books as well.
After, I put together a short email outlining my idea and proposed location, and waited. At this point, it’s good to include as many details as possible.
Fundraising
Excitingly, it wasn’t long until a Neighbourhood Warden reached out to me following my email. They asked me to fill out a form to formalise my request, including a detailed breakdown of budget, and then it was down to me – a regular ol’ citizen – to reach out to all of our town’s councillors to see if they’d back the project and, importantly, whether they’d allocate some of their catchment area’s budget towards the Little Free Library.
I took this incredibly seriously! I made a little pitch deck, attached photos, and shared my reasonings for the project:
- I’m a keen reader that finds they finish reading books quickly and have nowhere to keep or share them
- I’d love to make sure local children always have access to books that they can read and keep if they wanted to
- It’d be a really wholesome community amenity.
Over a few weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, I reached my fundraising target and raised enough funds for my library, decorating resources and installation! In fact, many councillors loved the idea so much that I’ve been asked to prep a second LFL spot, and to contribute more of my community ideas to the council. Everybody has been so enthusiastic about the project, and I felt very much buoyed by the reaction.
Setting up
Once our library materials arrived, the Neighbourhood Wardens actually kindly helped me to build the structure. Then, I popped over to the space to decorate it. Since I did the project with the support of the council, they also instructed a handyman that works at the park to install it for me. I was so relieved for this, because I am certainly no handywoman! Plus, this means everything is covered by their insurance.
Launch and promotional tools
Before we opened the Little Free Library to the public, I had many ideas of what to do to promote the library and generate a bit of local buzz. Of course, I set up an Instagram account so that I could share the process so far, and update any followers with the newest books in the library. Then, I designed and made 100 complimentary bookmarks with our LFL branding and Instagram handle – just a little bonus, as we all love a freebie. Finally, I reached out to our local newspaper with a press release and got us a little feature about its opening.
Going forwards, I’ll continue adding bookmarks and pop a few flyers up at nearby community centres, to ensure a ‘constant’ flow of bookish traffic.
The maintenance
As the steward of my Little Free Library, I’m also in charge of its maintenance. From ensuring there’s a good stream of books inside to touching up battered paint, I’m enjoying looking after the library. The LFL operates a ‘Take a Book, Leave a Book’ policy, so there isn’t a huge amount of book topping-up that needs to be done, but I visit it at least once a week to take photos, top up the free bookmarks and clear it of any litter. I also remove books that’ve been there a while, and store them in my car ready to rotate back out later. I’ve even recently added in a teeny little crate which is our local small business business card swap!
Takeaways
I’m only a few weeks into Little Free Library life, yet it’s one of the most rewarding projects I’ve taken on. I really like being accountable for its running AND I get to talk about books all the time. Running the Instagram account feels really relaxed and run, and I feel so proud of myself for having taken this on.
Something that surprised me a lot is how great it’s felt to be involved in our town in some small way. Regularly chatting to the councillors has certainly left me with the drive to establish more community projects, particularly around reading but also sustainability. Who knows? I might spend even more of my time focusing on uplifting our town!
