Girl Scouts bring Little Free Libraries to Lincolnshire parks
Members of a Lincolnshire Girl Scout troop hope the Little Free Libraries they've created for two local parks will encourage people of all ages to read.
Girl Scout Troop 45275 stocked the small boxes at Bicentennial Park and Whytegate Park with picture books for toddlers, storybooks for kids, a variety of books for older readers and even some magazines.
"We put different types of books for everyone," said 9-year-old Keira Kelley, a Scout from Lincolnshire.
And in their first month, the self-service libraries have been popular. Books are being taken and new ones are being donated anonymously to replace them.
"We have seen traffic," troop co-leader Emily Petway said.
More than 70,000 Little Free Libraries have been registered worldwide, according to littlefreelibrary.org, the website for the nonprofit that launched the hobby.
In the Chicago area, they can be found in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Hawthorn Woods, Mundelein, Naperville and many other communities.
The Lincolnshire Scouts undertook the Little Free Library project to mark the completion of their second year as Brownie Girl Scouts and the start of their time as Junior Girl Scouts, Petway said.
The troop worked with Lincolnshire Public Works Director Brad Woodbury to find suitable sites.
Bicentennial Park, which is at 45 Fox Trail, and Whytegate Park, which is at 299 Whytegate Court, were chosen because they already had seats for people who might want to read at the parks, Woodbury said.
A troop parent used official Little Free Library blueprints to build the libraries, and public works crews installed them on posts in the parks. One is on Whytegate Park's north side, while the other is on the southeast side of Bicentennial Park.
The girls organized a book drive to initially fill the libraries. They also donated books from their own collections.
Keira Kelley said it felt great to put some of her books in the libraries.
"I gave something to my community," she said.
No library card is needed to take a book, nor is there a fee of any kind. A small sign on each box simply tells visitors they can take a book or share a book.
Woodbury called the Little Free Libraries "wonderful, low-cost additions" to the parks. If the boxes' popularity continues, more could be added to other parks, he said.
"This is a really exciting project," Woodbury said. "I am proud to have worked with the Girl Scouts to launch something that encourages reading and literacy."