COMMA RUTNITY LITTLE FREE LIBRARY I f you have not seen a Little Free Library in the Tampa Bay area, the chances are that you will. These small, custom built and decorated, doll-house-sized kiosks, or free book exchanges, are popping up steadily throughout our communities, offering people a chance to share books and ideas, as well as to promote learning and education. The concept is simple; it invites people to take a book to read or leave a book for others to enjoy. Currently, there are ten Little Free Libraries in use in Safety Harbor and eleven in Dunedin. There are more than forty Little Free Libraries in place throughout Pinellas County, while Hillsborough County currently has 25. “All are official,” Safety Harbor Public Library Director, Lisa Kothe, explains. “Each one is unique, and no two the same. We are connected with the international office based in Wisconsin, and our Little Free Libraries are numbered and registered and can be found on the world map published on Little Free Library’s official website. These book exchanges in no way replace our traditional public libraries, but rather offer our community an opportunity to come together, sharing ideas and creating something useful.” After learning about the Dunedin Public Library’s commitment to Little Free Libraries, Kothe decided to reach out to her Safety Harbor community, where she discovered that many of the citizens were interested and willing to volunteer. In 2014, Safety Harbor’s first two Little Free Libraries were designed, built and placed in strategic locations that experienced high foot traffic. Kothe believed that the book exchanges would benefit her community in multiple ways as they promote literacy, creativity and art, as well as a strong commitment to family, sharing, participation and well being. It’s become common to see a man or woman reading in the city’s gazebo after they have chosen a book, or grandparents selecting children’s books from the Little Free Library and then reading them to their grandchildren in the park. There are no membership requirements or identification cards. There are no late fees, penalties or replacement charges. 64 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH APRIL 2017 Little Free Library books are offered to the community for free. If you like the book, you can keep it. If you have books you no longer want, you can donate them by simply taking them to a Little Free Library and putting them inside. Another benefit is that Little Free Libraries never close. They are open and available for people to come and take a book or leave a book, regardless of the time of day. If there is not a Little Free Library in your community and you are interested in getting involved, here are a few simple steps you can follow, as suggested by Little Free Library, Ltd. First, pick your location where there is high foot traffic and visibility to passersby. Ensure your location is legally acceptable by contacting your town’s zoning office in order to see if you need a permit. Then, build your library and set it out for use. Our continued use of actual books that have turnable paper pages and that can be held in your hand is proof that not all our education and entertainment comes from smart phones and tablets. 9 By Marc Mencher This Little Free Library on Nassau Street in Tampa was among the first to appear in Hillsborough County. On 4th Street in Indian Rocks Beach, there is a Little Free Library located adjacent to the walkway to the beach.
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