Dublin Teen Collects 700+ Books, Restocks & Repairs Little Libraries

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin is brimming with books again thanks to the efforts of Emerald High School junior Nithya Ravuri.

Nithya, 16, noticed that the Little Library boxes across Dublin’s ten parks were empty, worn out, or broken. She decided not only to refill and restore them, but to turn the project into a larger campaign to educate children about the importance of books and reading.

With the help of Dublin schools, Nithya collected and donated over 700 children’s books. Then, with the backing of city officials like Mayor Sherry Hu and Parks and Community Services Manager Shaun Chilkotowsky, she repaired the libraries, and refilled them with the books she’d collected. Since she began the initiative a few months ago, all of Dublin’s Little Libraries remain fully stocked.

Nithya also organized community events at Barnes and Noble dedicated to getting kids off screens and back into books. She focused on the mental health aspect, pointing to numerous studies that have shown that reading regularly significantly reduces stress, and improves memory, focus, and verbal skills. Screens can often have the opposite effect.

Since then, Nithya has been exploring ways to host additional events promoting books and literacy.

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