A neighbour and I were interested in fostering more community connections around our condo building and neighbourhood. We are both regulars at a few free little libraries nearby and realized there were no libraries in the immediate neighbourhood, so we decided to make one happen on our block! We applied for a small grant to cover the costs of the building supplies, researched designs and got to work. We quickly realized that buying new materials would cost more than the grant covered, so we looked elsewhere. We reached out to our networks in search of materials to repurpose, and as luck would have it, a carpenter connection agreed to build it for us with wood on hand for a low cost. Other neighbours donated spare roof shingles and, installed them, and helped to paint the little library.
We opened the library at the end of June as part of a community event for our building. We asked neighbours to bring books to stock it, and it was full from day 1! Since then, we’ve observed books come and go, neighbours stop at the corner to browse, and even linger to chat with passers-by. The little library has definitely improved the vibe on our block and encouraged more community connections, as we hoped.
