By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — “Take a book, leave a book.” That’s the tag line for Little Free Library, a literacy movement started by businessmen Todd Bol and Rick Brooks in 2010.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox
The Austin family surround their Little Free Library. On the left side, from left, are Olivia, Kim and Ryan, front. On the right, Steve, back, and Emily, front.
The two entrepreneurs first met in 2009 while exploring the benefits of green practices in business, discovering they shared “a commitment to service and the quality of community life around the world,” quoting LFL’s website. In an effort to promote the love of reading, Bol and Brooks came up with the idea of people placing small receptacles, the “libraries,” on their properties, filling them with books and leaving them open for the public to drop by and take out a book, leave a book, or both.
The group offers the option for participants to build their own library or to have one built by LFL’s volunteer carpenters and artists. The only stipulation is that the books taken from the libraries are never to be sold and only shared with others for free. Bols and Brooks set a goal of building more than 2,510 libraries around the world to surpass the number of “real” libraries built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The movement caught on and there are now thousands of Little Free Libraries all over the world.
Caribou residents Steve and Kim Austin read about the movement on the Reading Rockets website. As educators, the twosome had been looking for a way to instill in their three children — twin daughters Olivia and Emily, age 11, and son Ryan, age 8 — the importance of reading and community spirit, and they decided building their own library would be the perfect family project. The Austins contacted LFL and quickly received instructions and a free plaque to place on their library. The plaques are fashioned out of wood from 100-year-old barns in Wisconsin. The Austin library is assigned number 2,599, clearly indicating the Carnegie goal has been met.
“It’s like they’ve known you forever,” Kim boasts about LFL. “They’re the nicest organization.”
Construction of the Austin library was soon under way. LFL promotes the use of as many green materials as possible, so in the spirit of recycling, the Austins built their library out of leftover materials from Steve’s parents’ camp. With the much appreciated help of their dear friend and fellow Caribou educator Beth Alden, the family painted the library to resemble their house, complete with an image of gone but never forgotten cat Lexie sitting in one of the windows, presumably watching as the public enjoys use of their library.
Each of the children had a hand in a separate piece of the project, with Olivia helping to paint the side that features the word “read “ in a tree branch; Emily helping paint the windows, including the image of Lexie; and Ryan helping with the sky in the back and the coating over the quotes about the importance and love of reading featured on the front. Steve worked on the carpentry and setting the library up in front of their home and Kim worked on the public promotion.
The library was then stocked with numerous books, and on August 16, the Austin family held an official opening. Fifteen to 20 guests attended the get-together, including Caribou Public Library Director Diane DuBois.
“I think it is awesome that the Austins have created a mini lending library,” praised DuBois. “They have done a wonderful job as a family creating a structure to house their books. I just love the idea of promoting reading in this way. It is such a fun way to share books and it is recycling at its best.”
Ryan enjoys reading the guestbook, proudly listing the names of those who have visited. All three children keep an eye on the library and will often go out and greet visitors, encouraging them to take a book.
“It’s not stealing,” Kim said, concerned that people are hesitant to visit and simply take a book. “There’s no need to knock on our door. The books are available to be taken.”
The medium-sized library is capable of holding about 50 books. It is currently stocked full with reading material for both children and adults with more waiting to be added. Many people have dropped off books and, Kim says, they could use more geared toward the middle and high school age.
The Austin Little Free Library appears to be the only one in Aroostook County. Only seven other libraries are marked on the LFL’s map in the state of Maine, the next closest being in Bangor. The family dedicates the library to the memory of Kim’s mother, Joyce Whorley, who was an avid reader and lover of literature. They encourage those interested in getting a free book to read and then pass along to stop by their library at 33 Page Avenue in Caribou, have a look and hopefully take a book. Anyone interested in building their own library may visit LFL’s site at www.littlefreelibrary.org for details on how to get started.
