Little Free Library comes to Elgin police lobby

The last thing Marisol Villa expected Monday was to walk out of the Elgin Police Department with an armload of books for her and her children.

Villa said she was happy to find a Little Free Library in the lobby, where she was waiting to bond out a relative. "I think it's awesome," she said. "It's really cute how they made it. It gives an opportunity for the kids to read more books. They are not with me now but they'll read them at home."

Elgin police received its Little Free Library - a wooden, birdhouse-like home for books that people can take and restock for free - after applying to a program that donated 100 standard and mobile libraries to U.S. police departments. The initiative is part of the Little Free Library organization's Kids, Community & Cops Program.

The tiny library was installed last weekend. The idea to apply for the program came from Mary Hill, the wife of an Elgin police officer, police spokeswoman Kristie Hilton said. The department partnered with Gail Borden Public Library to stock books, and the Alphabet Shop in Elgin donated signs, she said.

"This partnership with the library brings a new avenue for people in our community to learn about services they offer while providing another literacy opportunity," Deputy Chief Bill Wolf said.

"Those who are at the police department are sometimes in stressful situations. If they are accompanied by children, having books available for them to read, by themselves or with an adult, may help bring the stress level down."