Most people are familiar with the concept, take a penny, leave a penny. Fewer might know of the “free little library” movement, which offers passers-by the opportunity to take a book or leave a book.
Standish resident Betty Perry is looking to change that. She’s opened a free little library in front of her home, next to the Schoolhouse Arts Center, on Richville Road.
The library is a way to build community, Perry said, while promoting literacy in the area.
Perry is a bibliophile herself, as well as a retired guidance counselor and child protective worker.
“I’m interested in anything that will enhance a child’s life,” she said. “A lot of kids in the area don’t have access to books,” something she hopes to combat by providing access to free reads in the village area.
In Standish, the Richville Library, north of Perry’s library on Route 114, is open six hours every week, on Tuesday evening and Saturday morning, which limits access.
And there is demand for library access in Standish, according to Paula Paul, director of the Steep Falls library. Attendance and circulation at the library “have never been higher,” the director of 20 years said.
Promoting childhood literacy is important, according to Paul, because if children aren’t encouraged to read from a young age, it becomes more difficult to capture their attention with reading when they’re older.
In Steep Falls, “On Your Mark, Get Set, Read,” the library’s summer reading program, encourages students to keep reading during the summer months.
Perry’s little library will join more 36,000 Free Little Libraries worldwide, whose mission is to “to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide,” according to the website. Perry applied online to become a registered little library, and received an official plaque that will decorate her book exchange.
The little library stand is a modified chicken coop, brightly painted and decorated with the old cartoon characters Little Lulu and Tubby from the comic strip, “Little Lulu.”
The cartoon characters seemed like a good fit for her library, Perry said, “because they are kids and they look playful, and I think they’ll attract children.”
Perry collected books throughout the winter, and has roughly 300 to keep her little library stocked.
Most of the books came from the Goodwill “pound store” in Westbrook, where she said for $1, she was able to purchase 15-20 books.
“It goes a long way toward helping provide children with reading resources,” she said of the store.
Once the little library is under way and word gets out about the resource, Perry said, she expects some people will drop off their used and unwanted books.
“So many people have unused books and are looking for an outlet,” she said. “They want to get rid of old books.”
Still, Perry said, she wants people not to feel obligated to leave a book.
The conceit of the little-library movement is to return the book you borrow or donate another, but for Perry, “taking is enough,” she said.
Perry said she received permission from the town’s code enforcement office to put the structure out on the street, and plans to do so this week.
“I hope it will be successful,” she said. “I hope people will stop by, and see it as a community builder as well.”
The perfect fix for a rainy day: a free book. Betty Perry of Standish, above, said she hopes her Free Little Library will promote literacy and build community by providing access to free books in the village area.
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