Little Free Library Comes to Villa Park

"Take a book. Return a Book". That's the motto for Little Free Libraries, a literacy initiative sweeping across the country. Now it's come to the corner of Ardmore and Washington in Villa Park. Recently, St. Paul Lutheran Church, 545 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park, became home to a Little Free Library, the first of its kind in Villa Park.

Little Free Libraries began in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin, when Todd Bol built a model schoolhouse on a post and filled it with books as memorial tribute to his mother, a teacher. Others adopted the idea and the non-profit Little Free Library was formed. Their mission is "To promote literacy and love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide". There are now thousands of Little Free Libraries and St. Paul's, a replica of the church, designed and built by St. Paul member George Batek, is located next to a bench on the Washington Street side of the property.

Books are checked out on the honor system and anyone who stops by can contribute or take a book. There are no library cards, no fines and no required returns. It was created and is maintained by St. Paul Lutheran Church as a gift to the people of Villa Park. For more information about Little Free Libraries, go to www.littlefreelibrary.org.