Little Libraries, Big Aspirations
Coffeehouse, Graywolf and Milkweed presses have each filled Little Free Libraries with collections of their books.
Image credit: Coffee House Press
Libraries are typically thought of as cozy community buildings, full of a wonderful selection of books and a gray-haired librarian. The Wisconsin organization Little Free Library has a different take.
The organization builds, sells and donates beautiful miniature libraries made out of cranberry crates – an unexpectedly ideal portal to promote literacy in a local coffeehouse, neighborhood, or even outside your home.
The libraries can be found around the country, but have gained particular traction in the Twin Cities because of a partnership with local presses Coffeehouse Press, Milkweed Editions and Graywolf Press.
Coffee House, Graywolf and Milkweed have each donated a collection of their books to Little Free Library, and the book-filled shelves are now are selling on the Little Free Library website for $100 to $250. Little Free Library also gave the local presses 10 libraries to sell locally. The libraries are being sold through the Walker Shop.
“The books by the presses are a starter kit for the libraries,” says Chris Fischbach, publisher at Coffee House Press. “It promotes the presses in town, and it’s a cool project.”
Their collaboration is due to the efforts of Carolyn Payne, the executive director of Soo Visual Arts Center on Lyndale Avenue. The Soo Visual Arts Center put a little free library outside of its gallery, and it quickly became a talking point at the gallery.
“It’s getting people into the gallery asking about it who might not necessarily visit,” reports Scott Stulen, the project director for mnartists.org at the Walker. “It’s not only a wonderful way to promote literacy, it also has a community aspect.”
Based on that success, Payne contacted Stulen and Fischbach about Little Free Library. Both quickly bought in.
The partnership may continue to grow, too. According to Stulen, the Walker and mnartists.org are now working with Little Free Library to have some of Minnesota’s talented local artists create custom little free libraries. Stulen hopes that these custom libraries will be ready by the spring and available for sale in the Walker shop’s MNartists.org Marketplace.
The Walker is also in talks to place its own little free library at the Walker Open Field and in the Sculpture Garden.
As they continue to spread, Fischbach says the sites could become focal points for the literary community, hosting readings and, more importantly, reminding people of the larger versions on which the mini-versions are modeled.
“Any time people read more, I think it’s a good thing,” Fischbach says. “It also stresses how important libraries are, especially public libraries, in a time when it’s so hard to get funding now.”
+ Learn more about Little Free Libraries at littlefreelibrary.org.
Comments
Post new comment