Hoboken Women Get Permission To Install 3 'Little Free Libraries'

HOBOKEN, NJ — Thanks to the efforts of a group of "educationally minded women" who wanted to bring books and joy to Hoboken kids, three "Little Free Libraries" will be installed around the mile-square city this coming week.

Leah Mermelstein, a mom and writing teacher, noted on Instagram on Thursday, "Get ready to read this spring! During the summer of 2020, a group of educationally minded women joined together to brainstorm ways to bring a love and joy of reading to the children in Hoboken. Our first project was to launch Little Free Libraries."

The project took off last summer after Mermelstein asked on Facebook how kids could get more access to books during the pandemic.

Seven area women, including moms and educators, began discussing the idea and working on it. The city gave them permission to place the boxes.

The Little Free Library project is a nationwide nonprofit initiative to encourage people to place boxes of free books to trade in their community. While the local women are not affiliated with the national group, they may reach out to them, an organizer said.

There are already free library boxes in Jersey City and some in front of residents' private homes in Hoboken, including this one:

"We are thankful for the incredible amount of community support we have received," Mermelstein wrote on Instagram Thursday. "Because of this support, our summer dream has become a reality. We have secured permission to install three ‘Little Free Libraries’ around town. They will be at Church Square Park (Fifth and Willow), Columbus Park (Ninth and Grand), and 221 Adams St. (Hoboken Housing Authority)."

Mermelstein expects to place books in the first library in Church Square Park, in the center of town, Monday.

For more information on the Hoboken endeavor and its contributors, check out its Facebook page by clicking here.

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