Within the next couple of months Natick residents may notice structures cropping up around town. Though they resemble large birdhouses, they are actually Little Free Libraries (LFLs) created to stock books. Thanks to a recent grant, the Bacon Free Library (BFL), located at 58 Eliot St., will facilitate the creation of six new LFLs. By the end of the summer, the community will have access to these take-one-leave-one book exchanges that make reading easier than ever.
A Little Literacy
Goes a Long Way
These mini libraries originate from the national nonprofit Little Free Library (LFL). LFL works to combat illiteracy by offering books in public spaces that can be accessed at any time, especially for areas without easy access to reading material.
Though the best way to improve reading comprehension in young children is by supplying books to read at home, the majority of low-income families are not able to provide them. LFL works to fill this gap, and millions of books are exchanged per year through their organization.
LFL provides online support from staff, building instructions and kits, access to free or discounted reading material through partner organizations, and a world map of registered LFLs to help people find and share books locally.
BFL Director Meena Jain explained that involvement on the part of the town of Natick and the BFL’s represents their continued commitment to the value of literacy.
“For me, there is no greater gift than putting books into the hands of children and families,” Jain said. “I believe that many families in and around Natick will be positively impacted through the LFLs.“
Local Libraries
The process of bringing LFLs to Natick was spearheaded by Monica Foley, a member of the Friends of the BFL. Foley wrote a grant that would enable the library to purchase and install six new units throughout Natick.
MathWorks, a software company located at 1 Apple Hill Dr., awarded the BFL a $3,279 grant on Tuesday, March 28. In conjunction, the company ran a book drive to collect the titles that will eventually be placed into the LFLs.
On Monday, May 1, Jain led a presentation about the details of the grant to the Natick Selectmen, including the progress that had been made since March.
“I explained that this grant is in line with our mission goals of literacy, outreach and accessibility,” Jain said. “We had bought the libraries and were having them painted by local artists.”
The painters are Natick High School student Catie Hodges (under the direction of art teacher Shiela Curran), and community artists Lee Manuel, Irene Carrick, Bren Bataclan and Denise Girardin.
What’s In the Works
Many locations for the LFLs were discussed, and ultimately Broadmoor, Elm Bank, the Eliot Church, the Common Street Spiritual Center, JJ Lane Park, and the Charles River Park (next to the BFL itself) were selected.
“We’ve matched up artists with locations, and all of the art designs will be a collaboration between the two,” Jain explained. “We will try to have topical books in the different locations, but there will also be a wide variety of books in each to appeal to a wide audience.”
Jain is excited that Natick has embraced these libraries, and is planning ways to commemorate them. “We’re hoping to have the LFL’s installed by the end of the summer, at which time we’ll have a celebration, and maybe a ‘Little Free Library Crawl’ - like a pub crawl, only with the LFL’s,” she said.
Once the units are installed, the BFL will be seeking families interested in “adopting” an LFL. Adopters check on the libraries now and again, keeping track of its condition and notifying the BFL if the books inside need to be refreshed.
To learn more about Little Free Libraries, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org. To keep up-to-date with the Little Free Library installation in Natick, or to inquire about adopting an LFL, visit www.baconfreeibrary.org.
Issue Date:
July, 2017
Article Body: