Groups bringing four Little Free Libraries to Mundelein
An all-star team of volunteers is bringing four small lending libraries to Mundelein to boost local literacy.
Commonly called Little Free Libraries after the nonprofit organization that launched the hobby, the wooden boxes will be installed at: Area General Store, 18 E. Park St.; Sunrise Fresh Market, 325 N. Seymour Ave.; Washington School, 122 S. Garfield Ave.; and an apartment complex at 700 McKinley Ave. Users will be encouraged to take books they like and leave books for others to enjoy, for free. Library cards aren't required.
“People may take one book but leave an entirely different one,” said Scott Davis, director of the Fremont Public Library, one of the agencies contributing to the effort. “Each box develops its own usership and identity over time.”
Joining the Fremont staff on the project are Mundelein Elementary School District 75, the Friends of the Fremont Public Library group and the Mundelein Vernon Hills Rotary Club.
Mundelein's Home Depot store has donated the raw materials needed to build the boxes. They're being constructed by Rotary Club members overseen by District 75 Superintendent Andy Henrikson.
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz called the project a great idea. “I'm proud of these community groups for teaming together to install four libraries at once,” Lentz said. “Promoting literacy is always a good thing.”
The initial book collections will be donated by the Friends of the Fremont Public Library group, which supports the library and runs monthly used book sales.
The box at the Area General store will start with adult books, while the other three will be geared toward younger readers, Davis said.
Because so many Mundelein families speak Spanish at home, many of the children's books will be Spanish-language stories.
The boxes should be ready for patrons within a month. The Friends group will add new materials to the boxes as needed, Davis said.
The first Little Free Library was erected in 2009 in Wisconsin, according to littlefreelibrary.org. A model of a one-room schoolhouse, the initial library was a tribute to the builder's mother, a former teacher who loved reading.
The idea caught on. More than 40,000 Little Free Libraries have since been built worldwide. Buffalo Grove, Cary, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Naperville and Palatine are among the many Chicago-area towns where Little Free Libraries can be found. In Mundelein, one already stands on the 700 block of South Lake Street.
For an interactive map of registered Little Free Libraries, visit littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap.