For St. Albert residents on the hunt for new reading material, the quest will get a lot easier this summer.
Following the successful launch of the first little free library in the city last August, three more have cropped up on private property and four are tentatively set for city land this summer.
Angie Dedrick, neighbourhood development co-ordinator with St. Albert FCSS, said she has heard a great amount of interest in having more around the city since the first one launched. This prompted the four-location pilot and spurred her to host a public information session set to take place at the St. Albert library April 20 to help residents set up more on private property.
“I’m delighted to see that four did actually come up last year,” she said. “And there’s actually quite a few more that are in the works. It’s quite exciting.”
Little Free Libraries have been popping up all over the world in different shapes and sizes, but the principle is the same. An individual, group or community sets up a small space protected from the elements that basically works like a take-a-book leave-a-book bin.
On top of promoting literacy in a community, a worthwhile goal in and of itself, Dedrick said she sees little free libraries as a way to help build and strengthen community and connectedness, which is one of the things St. Albert residents indicated as a priority in the Social Master Plan.
“My role as neighbourhood development co-ordinator is to try to initiate or engage residents in activities that would help build that sense of community connectedness,” she said. “Little free libraries are a natural fit.”
For June Bailey, the administrative assistant at Sturgeon Heights School who spearheaded efforts to get a little free library on school property near a walking trail in North Ridge, the project has indeed helped build community.
Within the school itself, she said students were excited about the project and wanted to be part of it, so all had a hand in bringing the project to life – or at least a thumb, as it’s decorated with thumbprints from students, which were then turned into bumblebees and ladybugs.
“They all knew what it was about, they all had a part in it and when it was finished and we took it out, we had a little assembly with the young kids and they helped fill the box for the first time,” she said. “We made a big deal of it, and it’s been hugely successful.”
Bailey said not only have the students bought into the project, but she knows many community members appreciate it based on feedback she gets when stocking and rotating the books.
“The odd time I’ve been out there when people are coming by, they say, ‘Oh I was here last week, are you putting something new in?’ and they actually watch for it to be changed,” she said. “I’m just happy to see it being used, and that the idea is really taking off.”
Dedrick said at the April 20 information session she would be able to provide information both about the pilot locations on city land and about how residents can set them up on private land.
The free event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the St. Albert Public Library.
