Little Library – Second Update
It’s Done…
We have the little library up… it actually went up last fall and I’ve neglected to update about it! For those of you who haven’t read about our Little Corner Library, click the link for the backstory, but for those of you who have… here is your update!
We Didn’t Know What To Expect
I’d love to say I have a picture from the day it went up, but alas, I do not. We secured it in the ground, put some books in it, and then my hubby and I bet on how long it would take before the Little Library was both empty and vandalized.
(We might be a bit cynical by nature, lol)
Truth is we didn’t know what to expect but thankfully we’ve not had anything like that happen!
As we were putting up the Library and shortly after, we realized we needed some sort of explanation of what it was. Little Libraries have been around for a bit, but not in our neck of the woods, and so we debated between making a sign or registering it with Little Free Library.
Little Free Library
Little Free Library is a group that is been around for about 10 years… trying to help others build little libraries in as many communities as possible. Through their website, you can register your library which will allow you to gain some benefits, one of which is a plaque… which in return, gives the library a unique charter number, and also explains how to use the library.
Originally, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to register my library. We had some reservations about paying money just to register our library. I know that probably sounds weird, but at first, I didn’t see the value. We just wanted to offer the community books… and weren’t concerned about being part of a bigger network, however, we came to realize that by becoming a member (which was a one-time fee of $39 AND I got a little plaque to hang on the library… crazy I hesitated at all) I would become part of a movement, not just a network.
Our Plaque
The picture above was taken after Christmas which is why the door is decorated, but as you see we hung our plaque up and haven’t looked back. It has our unique charter number on it, which can be searched, and has a bit of info about our Little Corner Library. Our plaque reads “Take a book, Share a book” and adds a really nice touch!
The Books
As I’ve mentioned in the previous Little Library posts (I think), we had a couple boxes of books on hand, and because we built the library with 3 shelves, we can separate the books for children, young adult, and adult.
We do our best to keep it stocked, we haven’t seen many books come back, but we have had people leave some… and it’s never been empty. We went in knowing that this could be an expense for us (and it really hasn’t been much of an expense)… but we wanted to provide easy access to books to our our neighborhood, and we see this as an opportunity to help our community.
Final Thoughts
I plan on doing a super in-depth review of the library in October… it will be the year point and I have lots of thoughts and ideas about ours, and all, Little Libraries.
In all, I am so glad we built this… beyond it being cute and fun, I’ve had little kids tell me that their mom works when the library is open and are glad to come to our house for books. I’ve also had people email me, thanking me for putting it up. “Thanks” isn’t why we did it, but I am so happy people appreciate it!
Anyway… check back for more updates, I also plan on putting our specific building plans in a post, it’s the perfect size in my opinion. If you have any questions about the library or are considering one, don’t hesitate to comment or reach out on Facebook or Instagram!
Want to help our Little Library… well you can!
You can promote learning with your little ones while contributing to our library by grabbing this reading log and book tracker at Etsy!
It also has bookmarks and a keyword outline for more fun and to add some educational value to it as well! My store supports our little free library, and by shopping you help it too!
BEM + Fam 🙂
PS. This post has some affiliate links, read more about those here.
