You donβt have to be book smart to find these little libraries.
Little Free Library is a non-profit, social enterprise that allows people to share books in their local neighborhoods. There are owners of the libraries β called stewards β that make a little birdhouse-like bookshelf in their neighborhood. The purpose of these little libraries is for locals in the area to be able to take a book and replace the book.
Kris Huson, the director of marketing and communications for Little Free Library, said that she believes reading and literacy is very important to peopleβs health.
βI think reading and literacy is a cornerstone of people being productive as well as their psychological, behavioral and physical well being,β Huson said. βIt sets up children for success later in life, so I think itβs really an undervalued tool that is a cornerstone of being successful, healthy and happy.β
Helen Curtis has a Little Free Library in the Tucson neighborhood between Broadway Boulevard and 22nd Street, west of Columbus Boulevard. She said it was made from her childhood toy box.
Find out how to build your own Little Free Library for your neighborhood and get it listed by the national organization here.
Little Free Library has been expanding in the last few years. According to Huson, the first Little Free Library in India is being installed soon.
βWe have grown exponentially,β Huson said. βPeople see a library and they want to replicate that.β
Check out the map to find a Little Free Library near you in Tucson, and the PDF for the inventory of each.