Little Free Libraries May Soon Sprout in Birmingham Parks

The Little Free Library movement began simply in 2009 when a Wisconsin man wanted to honor his schoolteacher mother, an avid reader. There are more than 25,000 of the dollhouse-sized and appointed structures around the world. (Patch file photo)

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Linda and Oz Forrester say they have been charmed as they’ve traveled by the sight of outdoor book collection boxes – much like a dollhouse in both its size and shutters, singles and other diminutive appointments – and they’d like to see the Little Free Library movement come to Birmingham.

The Forresters discussed the idea Tuesday with Birmingham’s Parks Board, which gave its approval to the plan and said residents could begin seeing the little libraries this summer, The Observer & Eccentric reports.

“It’s a really cute idea,” Linda Forrester said at the meeting. “We see them everywhere when we travel – it gets people interested in looking at the titles and reading.”

“It’s a little tiny library in your neighborhood ... what a great idea,” Parks Chair Patricia Bordman.

If you’ve never heard of it, the Little Free Library movement represents much that is good in neighborhoods in America and around the world.

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The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 in Hudson, WI, by Tod Bol. He wanted to honor his late mother, a school teacher and avid reader, and came up with an idea he hoped would instill in others her passion for books and reading: A small library filled with books to be shared with friends, neighbors or passersby. The idea behind the Little Free Library is to “take a book and leave a book,” with no library card involved.

There are now 25,000 little libraries around the world, including 20 Bol recently donated to the city of Detroit.

The concept isn’t new to the city. A Birmingham resident is maintaining a Little Library on Pines Street near Chesterfield, Baldwin Public Library associate director Kathryn Bergeron said.