Before the Little Free Library system, not so long ago, when everyone did not have the power of the Internet at their fingertips and E-readers did not exist, people had to go to the local library to use computers and read books. Many people still enjoy holding a book in their hands and turning the pages instead of clicking. Luckily, the 21st-century library could be right next door or in your local park.
Are Public Libraries Extinct?
The short answer is no. However, they are endangered and attempting to adapt. The Trump administration recently cut funding to seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which funds public libraries. On March 31, 2025, the agency informed nearly all its employees that they were being placed on administrative leave for up to ninety days. Only time will tell how government cuts will affect public libraries in the United States.
I went to the library every day after school when I was a teenager. Binge reading book series like “Nancy Drew” and “Harry Potter” provided me with an escape during dark years. Finding peace in books is what eventually inspired me to become a writer. I moved to my town after college and saw a little free library box for the first time. Intrigued, I set out on a mission to find out what it was and soon installed my own in my front yard, hoping to inspire others to embrace old-school books again.
Little Book Boxes to the Rescue
Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the mission to expand book access for everyone through a global network of volunteer-led book exchange boxes. The first LFL box was built in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin, and there are now over 200,000 LFLs in 128 countries worldwide. You can visit their website or download the phone app to find LFLs near you, save your favorites, and even put your own library on the map. If you cannot start your own LFL, you can support their mission to provide 24/7 access to books everywhere by making a tax-deductible donation.
Finding Peace in Books During Dark Times
When I learned that my under-funded local school did not have a library, I reached out to an English teacher at the high school. We came up with the idea to collect books and start a small library in his classroom for his students. I received hundreds over a couple of months and helped the teacher fully stock his classroom with books that his students could check in and out.
A couple years later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but the books still kept flooding in. Schools and any other locations that may have previously accepted books were now closed. My doors were still open, but I was drowning in books.
So I got an old bookcase, filled it up with the donated books, and began lugging a bin of books outside for people to pick through every day. After a few months, my DIY “FREE BOOKS” sign was misunderstood, and my whole bin disappeared. In need of a more permanent solution, I started researching Little Free Library.
I purchased mine from a vendor on Etsy.com and painted it myself, which was a fun project and allowed me to paint my LFL to look like my home. Anyone can buy a pre-made LFL box or a complete installation set on the organization’s website. You do not need any permission or a license to install/host a Little Free Library.
Everyone was stuck home and going a bit stir crazy. Adults started playing Pokemon Go while wearing masks just to get outside. It was a bizarre change in society—everyone was suddenly outside exercising, but could not interact with each other. Many humans turned to books for an additional escape from the insanity of the world. Parents soon made it a habit to stop by my LFL with their children on their daily walks. I also provided free handmade masks (made by a neighbor who had a sewing machine and nothing better to do), hand sanitizer and wipes at my Little Free Library. Thus, started Little Free Library.
Books Will Live On
“I tried an e-reader, but it’s just not the same. I love the smell of a book—the older the better! Holding it, falling asleep with it. A book can provide comfort like nothing else can. The little free library is proof of that. They bring our community together,” said a local resident who frequents my LFL and helps distribute books to others in the community when they need to be filled.
Libraries and the book industry have been transformed by technology, but the beauty of physical books can never be replaced by screens. These little library boxes around the world will help inspire readers and storytellers for decades to come. I dare you to pick up a book and give it a chance. You might just find an escape into a more beautiful world.
