Houzzers Share Their Little Free Libraries
Stewards of these book-sharing boxes get creative with their designs, placement, social media marketing and more
Recently I asked Houzz users to post photos of their Little Free Libraries, and I was bowled over by the response. More than 50,000 of these book-sharing boxes exist worldwide, in every U.S. state and in 70 countries. Stewards and patrons on Houzz shared brilliant ideas for the design, stewardship, promotion and placement of the Little Free Libraries. Here’s a look at what some are doing with their libraries in North America.
Southern Shores, North Carolina. This is just the right time of year for good juicy beach reads. After receiving permission from the local civic association in their Outer Banks town, Houzz user Lori Shelton Keating and her husband, Tom Keating, built four Little Free Libraries to install at the most popular beach access points. Then they approached four local artists to paint them (seen in these first four photos). Here is one of the libraries right after installation, painted by local artist Carolina Coto.
The Keatings’ long-term goal is to work with all the towns along the Outer Banks to help them build or buy their own Little Free Libraries for their communities. They just launched a Facebook page for the libraries. This one is by Dawn Moraga.
South Bend, Indiana. Architectural designer Kim Sieradzki designed this eye-catching library for her neighborhood, The Triangle, and thought carefully about its placement. “It sits next to our community’s mailbox so everyone can stop by to see what’s new whenever they check their mail,” she writes. A bench nearby is just the spot for enjoying new titles.
Bainbridge Island, Washington. Houzz user Lore Patterson has three Little Free Libraries within a few minutes’ walk of her home on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound. “The one shown here is particularly well situated, with seating around it. It’s become a community gathering spot located inside my local garden plant nursery which adjoins and shares space with a small coffee and bakery shop,” she writes. “I can wander through the garden admiring all the seasonal plants and flowers, grab a latte from the bakery, peruse the offerings for both children and adults in the Little Free Library, and take a seat in the garden space enjoying it all!”
Oakland, California. If you’re not handy, don’t fret. You can buy your own library at littlefreelibrary.org. Then you can customize it with your own paint job. Houzz user Gordon Douglas shared his neighborhood’s colorfully painted Cedar Roof model.
Charleston, South Carolina. This one shared by Houzz user Elizabeth Holly Bryan looks like an architecture school project, with its gabion post counterbalanced by its strong horizontal book-holding box and its living roof.
Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Houzz user Douglas Dangerfield built this Little Free Library as a replica of a local landmark, a green barn built in the 1930s. He used clapboard siding and individual cedar shingles for the roof. The barn has been through a lot. Besides being moved, it was remodeled and repurposed into serving as the Carnes Crossroads Community Center. Now the barn’s mini-me library serves the community as well.
Atlanta. This is my neighborhood Little Free Library, and the steward is my neighbor Chris. There’s a rotating selection that includes children’s books, fiction and nonfiction, book group selections, the occasional vintage National Geographic, and more. I can see this one from my dining room window, and it’s neat to watch — people have a really hard time walking by without pausing to check out the titles inside. It’s rare to see someone go by without stopping.
Roziere also sent along a photo of Winnipeg’s second chartered library. It was so neat to read about people who had established a Little Free Library to commemorate, honor and celebrate a person or an event. In this case, the library commemorated the 100th anniversary of a school.
Another thing we learned from Houzz users was that some libraries concentrate on particular genres. This one features only children’s books.
Another thing we learned from Houzz users was that some libraries concentrate on particular genres. This one features only children’s books.
Salt Lake City. “We love our community and put up our library over a year ago. We based our design on the fact we are near the original location of the Utah State Penitentiary,” writes Houzz user Misty Morris, who co-stewards this library with Laurene Vickers. (That former site of the penitentiary is now Sugar House Park.)
“Our motto is ‘Free Your Mind, Read Books’ and our library design includes hands on bars made of books,” Morris writes. “We have a mix of little and big kid books. We host parties and even have a summer reading program.” Users can keep up on their Facebook page.
Springfield, Missouri. Many Little Free Libraries are budding social media stars. Houzz users Carl and Denise Shaw sent us a photo of their library along with its Facebook and Instagram handles (LittleFree133 and #LittleFree133, respectively). It’s pretty great; you can check out the current titles available, see new arrivals and even track a visit from the Candy Fairy. The box offered up tie-shaped bookmarks on Father’s Day and featured Star Wars books on May the Fourth [Be With You].
Kingsville, Ontario. Houzz user Anna Lamarche loves being a steward and writes “even though we have a public library just down the street, we have people stopping by all the time. My community contributes 100 percent by donating books for all ages. Kingsville, Ontario, rocks!”
We also think that the paint job, which coordinates so beautifully with the house, rocks.
We also think that the paint job, which coordinates so beautifully with the house, rocks.
Silverstrand Beach, California.
“Here’s our local LFL in lovely Silverstrand Beach, California,” writes Houzz user Kate Harrell. “The homeowners built it over a weekend and within two days it was full of donated books. I love using it! The selection is always changing.”
In case you haven’t been blessed with one in your neck of the woods, Little Free Library is “a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.” You can also check out the organization’s map to see if there’s one close by. If there isn’t, consider being the person who introduces them to your community. You can find out how at littlefreelibrary.org.
More: Read more stories about connecting with neighbors and building community
“Here’s our local LFL in lovely Silverstrand Beach, California,” writes Houzz user Kate Harrell. “The homeowners built it over a weekend and within two days it was full of donated books. I love using it! The selection is always changing.”
In case you haven’t been blessed with one in your neck of the woods, Little Free Library is “a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.” You can also check out the organization’s map to see if there’s one close by. If there isn’t, consider being the person who introduces them to your community. You can find out how at littlefreelibrary.org.
More: Read more stories about connecting with neighbors and building community