Illustration by Juliana Neufeld
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My husband made a little two-storey house that mirrored our own in colour and design for our Little Free Library, while I culled through bookshelves. The concept resonated with us immediately – instead of hauling a car full of boxes to yet another used book sale, we could just walk them to the curb.
Fifteen or so years later, it’s safe to say that thousands of books, as well as the occasional DVD, CD and jigsaw puzzle have circulated through our little libraries (we’re on our second one). We live on a busy street, just a few blocks from a subway stop. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of people walk by every day.
Many patrons of our library do not hesitate to share their love of this neighbourhood resource. One gentleman occasionally stops by to pick up a few books for the residents of the local retirement home. At other times, we have received cards and gifts, including chocolates, a personalized sketch from a local artist, and a six pack of fancy fizzy water dropped off at our front door with a note. We have been noticed by the Giller Foundation, who have seeded the library with the occasional book. Once, we were even invited to a reading at the International Festival of Authors.
Like the people who use our library, the books that come and go reflect the broad diversity of our city. Arabic, French and Russian books are staples amongst the dominant English-language books. One day, while I was weeding in the front garden, I saw a man whose expression of excitement prompted me to comment that he must have found something special. He smiled and replied that he had just found a book about learning Korean for Serbian language speakers – just what he needed. Go figure. I have taken a few copies of favourite books, translated into languages I cannot read, just for the sheer pleasure of having another edition in my collection. This leads me to note that the library has not solved our book storage issue at all. We have as many books, if not more, than we ever had.
Our library has been the scene of a few dramas. Once, a woman parked her car in my neighbour’s driveway to drop off some books. She backed into their parked car and left the scene of the accident! She didn’t know that my husband was watching and didn’t realize, at least initially, that she had left her license plate behind. By the time she returned, the license plate, the neighbour and my husband were waiting in the driveway.
Another time I came out of the house to see a woman with a bag of books. She nodded but seemed hesitant to drop them off. I started on my walk, but my curiosity was piqued, so I came back as she rushed off in the other direction. In her wake, I found a complete set of the Fifty Shades erotic novels in a plastic bag. I placed them in the library and noticed they moved quickly.
About five years ago our first library was showing signs of serious wear and tear. In true midtown Toronto fashion, my husband decided to build new rather than renovate. I could not bring myself to throw out the old library and insisted that we put it at the side of the road for pick up. Sure enough, a family in an SUV stuffed with two children, a dog, and all their summer vacation luggage stopped by for a closer look. They adored the library and wanted to take it home but could not fit it in their crowded car. I assured them it would be safe in our back yard until they returned. A week later the old library was on its way to a new location where I hope it has found another community of users.
While many folks tidy and arrange the books, there is a little maintenance involved for us as owners. We keep an eye on the circulation and occasionally replenish the library with books from our own collection (sometimes just “returning” books we’ve borrowed). And I confess that I do assume some curatorial control. Undergraduate business textbooks from the 1970s get moved into the recycling bin quickly. We need to restock most often during December when books seem to fly off the shelf, indicating to us that many in our midst share our passion for regifting books. It’s a comforting thought.
I have heard some rumbles that the Little Free Libraries do not always serve the purpose of building community and may compete with our public libraries and independent bookstores. This has not been our experience. We continue to buy more books than we need and we are fiercely loyal users of the public system. Our Little Free Library has enhanced our love of reading and has connected us to a community of book lovers in the heart of our busy neighbourhood.
Nancy Bell lives in Toronto.