Little Free Library – a great place to meet the neighbors

Our Little Free Library in Cayucos is finally up and open for business!

For any of you unfamiliar with the Little Free Libraries, they are shelters for books where people can take a book and leave a book for others to read. This remarkable concept was begun in Wisconsin by Todd Bol who set up a model of a one room schoolhouse and filled it with books as a tribute to his mother. His friend, Rick Brooks, saw the little library as a way to help contribute to their communities. They built libraries and gave them away. From this simple beginning, and inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s contributions of free public libraries, the idea has spread throughout the world and there are now over 50,000 Little Free Libraries in the U.S. and 70 other countries.

 

 

Our home in Cayucos, California is the perfect location for a Little Free Library and thanks to contributions from writer friends, the Casa Miramar Little Free Library is filled with books and is becoming a part of our neighborhood beach community.

 

 

The Casa Miramar Library is a simple two story Prairie style that I purchased from the Little Free Library organization. Many people design and build their own libraries but not being handy with tools, I chose this style which will hopefully stand up to salt air and beach weather. I painted it to honor our family’s favorite resort, the Miramar in Santa Barbara, which was unfortunately torn down. It looks a bit plain to me so I plan to jazz it up a bit but haven’t yet decided what to add.

Since I am here only part time I wondered how the library would fare when I was gone. Would it be filled with beat up old text books or trash? I am happy to report that people in the neighborhood are taking good care of it in my absence. The original collection of books are gone and new titles stand on the shelves. People have jotted notes in the ledger. I’m meeting neighbors and vacationers who stop by, introduce themselves, and take a book to read on the beach. Here’s a photo of Roxanne contributing a favorite book:

 

And a thank you from an appreciative patron:

Since I am primarily interested in Kid Lit, I fill the shelves mostly with children’s books. I’m excited to see that others are also adding books for kids as well as travel books, cookbooks, and the latest best sellers.

According to the map of Little Free Libraries, the Casa Miramar Library is the first in Cayucos. If you find yourself traveling along California’s Central Coast, please stop by 1775 Cass Avenue, Cayucos. Take a book and find a spot on the sand to read. Don’t forget to leave a note!

 

Is there a Little Free Library in your neighborhood? Check the map to discover the locations of Little Free Libraries.