Strathmore welcomes Little Free Library

Brady Grove , Times Reporter

The Strathmore Municipal Library introduced a new concept known as the Little Free Library that aims to promote literacy in the community.
Little Free Libraries began popping up around Strathmore as early as June 17. They enable people to drop off and/or pick up books for free.
“Our goal was to bring this project to Strathmore,” said Carmen Erison, assistant director at the Strathmore Municipal Library. “There might have been one or two prior to us launching this large campaign, but we wanted to put it out to the entire community and spread it out.
A Little Free Library acts like a drop box that allows people to trade books with each other. A user can take a book from the Little Free Library or leave one behind.
The project was in the works for nearly two years. According to Erison, the Little Free Libraries started in the United States before gaining global awareness.
The Strathmore Municipal Library’s goal is to have 10 Little Free Libraries appear in the community. However, for now there are only two boxes. Each Little Free Library will have a steward who watches and maintains the drop box.
The first one was launched during the Newsy Neighbour’s Get to Know Your Neighbour festival on June 17 at the Wheatland Society of Arts. Residents can also find a Little Free Library inside the McBride Career Group building.
“McBride Career Group likes to promote literacy and we have a lot of traffic coming in and out of our building,” said Manny Everett, the steward and organizer for McBride Career Group. People are bringing in extra people or kids and it will occupy them. They are able to take and leave books as they want.”
According to Erison, the goal is to have all the Little Free Libraries in the community by the end of July because the Strathmore Municipal Library is preparing to move into a temporary new space.
However, vandalism remains a concern for the Little Free Libraries because some are outside and stewards can’t watch them all the time.
“There’s always that fear naturally,” said Erison. “We are really hoping that people in the community will respect them and really embrace them.”
The Little Free Library was built by former library board member Chris Dumont. He supplied all of the materials to build the prototype and got the project started. Dumont submitted the prototype for Strathmore’s Let’s Make a Pitch contest – an event that mirrored the style of television show Dragon’s Den – a couple years ago. However, the project didn’t claim the prize.
Shortly after, United Way Calgary stepped in and provided a grant to continue the project. The funding was used for materials and supplies.
Hope Bridges Society partnered with Strathmore Library to add the finishing touches. The society beautified the Little Free Libraries with a cork roof and photo-page style door. They also added an upcycled container inside which will be filled with upcycled bookmarks.
“The reason we got involved is because we are all about community art and connecting adults from all backgrounds,” said Wanda Reinholdt, coordinator with Hope Bridges Society. “This was the perfect project for us.”
Reinholdt said they focused on making the Little Free Library as outdoor friendly as possible.
The Strathmore High School shop classes also built several Little Free Libraries which will eventually be put around the community.
The Strathmore Library is still looking for more stewards. For more information contact the Strathmore Municipal Library at 403-934-5440 or Hope Bridges Society at 403-983-3640.