Little Free Library


Blog, Books / Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Ellie and I were out for a walk yesterday when we came across the Little Free Library near my home and we saw this:

Near my apartment, Little Free Library
I had to check this one out to see what the note was even though I had visited it not too long before.

In case you cannot read it, the note says:

Notice:
I put this Little Free Library here to teach my son about sharing and kindness.
When you take all of the books out of the library at once without even leaving a book, you make it very hard to teach that lesson.
Be neighborly. Take a book, leave a book.
Thank you

What kind of world do we live in where people can’t make sharing books and knowledge a wonderful thing without people ruining it? It’s a simple concept that has the tragedy of the commons lurking all around it.

I’ve come across a few of these wonderful bits of humanity during my travels, and I always browse through to see what’s there but I never take a book because I’m always caught off guard when I come across them. I’m always empty-handed. So, like the sign above points out, I don’t get to take a book.

Things like this worry me because I really want to have one of these once I have a place of my own. I doubt it will bother me as much as it bothered the owner of the one in the picture because a book for someone to read is still better than not offering one at all.

Give me some hope for us all, and promise you’ll try to always leave a book to keep the sharing going.

4 Replies to “Little Free Library”

    1. Oh man, Brussels? That’s awesome. I think they started in Madison, WI (at least that’s what I vaguely remember the girlfriend telling me).

      Hope you’re doing well.

      1. Cool, I didn’t know they started in Madison. It’s such a great idea. All is well on this end — lots of writing for the MA but spring has been lovely so far, so can’t complain. Hope you’re well, too.

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