For book lovers who haven’t taken the time to learn how to download eBooks from your public library, no worries! Chances are that a Little Free Library is nearby.
Free? Library? Yes, that’s correct! It’s really more of a book exchange. You may take a book, but please leave book to replace it. In this age of coronavirus, please use hand sanitizer before and after use and disinfect the books before bringing them into your home.
Begun in 2009 in Wisconsin, Little Free Libraries now number more than 100,000 strong and may be found in more than 100 countries. Millions of books are exchanged annually.
Here in San Antonio, we have more than 100 Little Free Libraries by my count, and I think we actually have more than that. Not all of them are registered, it seems. Here’s a screenshot of the ones that are registered.
We have a Little Free Library in our front yard, thanks to Girl Scout Troop 300, who built 300 Little Free Libraries in honor of San Antonio’s Tricentennial back in 2018. Neighbors visit our library regularly, and I’ve read some outstanding books thanks to my neighbors’ donations.
Our library has a mix of offerings: children’s books, YA, mysteries, romance, history, autobiographies, self-help, magazines and more. That’s part of the fun! You never know what you might find.
If you’d like to help increase San Antonio’s literacy rate, become a Little Free Library steward! They’ll even teach you how to build your own.
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!
I’ve always considered those a wonderful thing. In these days, though, one might advise people to really disinfect their hands before and after using those books.
Take care, and stay healthy,
Pit
I agree. I figure disinfecting the covers is a good idea. Thanks for reading/commenting, Pit! Cheers, Denise
🙂
Just added a sentence to clarify. The Little Free Library’s website isn’t opening (too much traffic?), but I found a recommendation on another site.
🙂
This is such a positive thing. My neighborhood in Oregon has had one for 20+ years but, now, they have popped up in neighborhoods all over town. Seems the same is happening in San Antonio … and probably all around the country. 🙂
There’s two on my side of town!
Makes me want to contribute books.
I have a LFL in my front yard, just around the corner from you! It’s bright yellow. You can’t miss it! Feel free to contribute books. People, young and old, are always walking by and taking ones that catch their fancy. Thanks, Denise