Congratulations to Sharon on winning the Little Free Library! Thank you to everyone who participated!
Whether you’re sprawled out on the beach with your favorite paperback or curled up on the couch with your most recent book club book, there’s nothing better than going on a page-by-page adventure. Little Free Library™ is an upper Midwest nonprofit phenomenon responsible for promoting this pastime we love and growing an international network of literal Little Free Libraries. Not sure what a Little Free Library is? Let us fill you in. Little Free Libraries are miniature house-like structures filled with free books that families and children can borrow, trade or leave a book for someone else.
Mall of America® is partnering with Little Free Library to exceed the number of public libraries funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie over a century ago (2,509 libraries). MOA™ will donate 20 uniquely designed Little Libraries to local communities, including special Little Library #2,510 to break the record!
Does this sounds like something you want to get involved in? You can! We are giving away one Little Free Library to someone who wants to bring the joy of reading to their own community. The winner will be the official Community Steward of the Little Library! Responsibilities include:
- Scheduling and attending the installation of the library
- Watching over the library to make sure there are no damages and if there are, fixing them
- Monitoring the library to ensure it is stocked with books at all times
- Monitoring the library to make sure the books shared are appropriate
- Raising awareness of the library in your neighborhood
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I live in lakeville, minnesota and would love for my small community here to fall in love with books just like i did. As a new mom, i am amazed by what books do to children from a very young age, stimulating their senses, building their imagination and creativity, furthering and satisfying their curiosities and helping them grow into well-informed adults who can contribute to a better society that we all can live in. I would love to be a part of this great idea of having a cute little free library in our community where children and adults alike can share their collection of books, their ideas and a part of themselves!
I am a Property Manager for a residential apartment company in Bloomington and there are several other apartment buildings and hotels surrounding the building along with schools. Our building has started collecting boxtops for local schools and i believe that having this little library on our property would also help to keep kids and adults alike reading year round. It would be like the neighborhood ”water cooler” bringing people together to talk and spread knowledge that reading does. The 1st time i saw one was on a walk with a friend in uptown area and now every time im up there it has been a topic of conversation, i bring a book to put in there and see what is available to read also. It even made me be more interested in getting more information regarding the project. It is great to see that a little family in WI started this and they have even gotten one in South Africa.
I love this idea! My kids would have so much fun with this. We love to read. It would be so fun to share our love of reading with the neighborhood. It would be a great way to bring people together as well.
12 miles from River Falls Wisconsin (pop 13,000), and 8 miles from Spring Valley Wiscoisin (pop 5,000) and 9 miles South of Baldwin Wisconsin, is an even smaller Hamlet called “Martel”. When you are ten miles from everything, it’s hard to keep track of the open hours for each library….and get there! I would work with our 4-H club to create a Little Free Library so we don’t always have to drive 10 miles to somehere.
alicia.acken@gmail.com
I would love for our community to get to know one another better and bring an old time feel to our part of the woods right here in Bloomington! Our block was actually talking about this at our National Night Out! I think it would be awesome to make reading more fun for the young and old that live in our area and maybe even ‘meet’ some new friends on our way to exchange some more books! I know a lot of people can be encouraged by little acts of kindness and this could make a big difference in our very diverse neighborhood!
miskelljodifunk@aol.com
Little Free Libraries are a celebration of community, as well as a sharing of the love of reading which expands our imagination. I have wanted a Little Free Library in my neighborhood for quite a long time now, and just don’t have the resources to either buy one or build one sturdy enough to withstand the long, cold winters here in Oakdale, MN. Books are my best friends. They are meant to be handed down, shared, enjoyed and cherished…never discarded! I long for the day when I can bring this dream of mine to life. A way that creates a fun way for children to learn – and a great way for adults to connect.
A dear old friend once told me, “If you can read, you can do anything.” He was right. Reading is limitless. Reading is an escape. Reading brings our goals and dreams into focus. I cannot imagine a world without books, no matter what form.I remember living in northern Wisconsin and once a week, even in the winter – no matter how hard it was snowing, we’d walk to the library. I was always so excited to get there…and see what books I’d find. I was equally excited to get home so I could start reading. When summer came and with it those warm nights, I had a favorite tree that I’d climb and happily read the hours away.Thank you for considering me as a recipient of a Little Free Library. I would love and take care of my library with the same enthusiasm I have had all my life for books – and reading. My Little Free Library would bring a great deal of joy to my small part of the world.
Please choose me! :-D Thank you!
schultz.carol@comcast.net
We need The Little Free Library in our neighborhood. I would work to have this at the Skyview playground in Inver Grove Heights, MN. That way, kids could play then take a book home and enjoy a good read. Even the moms who sit at the park could read on the spot! We are getting new equipment this year and what a wonderful addition this would be! There are so many kids in the neighborhood and the closest library is about 5 miles away. Our own books could start this and I know I could get other parents to donate as well ! What a great giveaway item to support our neighborhoods! Thank you!
brummund44@msn.com
My child attends a Montessori Charter School in Chaska, World Learner School. I would love to have the school get the Little Free Library. I think it would be great for the parent community.
My child attends a Montessori Charter School in Chaska, World Learner School. I would love to have the school get the Little Free Library. I think it would be great for the parent community.Edit
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I find this so ironic…last week my kids and I visited our library. I took a few minutes to sit and read the Mpls/St. Paul magazine. I came upon the article of the Little Free Library and the partnership with the Mall of America! I immediately fell in love with the Little Free Library and their mission. I am very passionate about reading and I would really like my family to be a part of something so wonderful. I would like my children to participate in sharing their love of books to others in our neighborhood and to teach my kids to pay it forward. I would like to place the library in my front yard and to plant a butterfly garden surrounding it and of course low enough for even the smallest readers to enjoy! While reading my book in my favorite chair I could observe the families visiting and see the smiles on their faces when they pick that special book! jimandshari@mchsi.com
Me, me, me! I have been saying for a while that it seems like the Little Free Libraries are popping up in the more affluent neighborhoods, and there is nothing wrong with that, but we need them in more modest neighborhoods, like North End, St. Paul, too. I would LOVE to have one here and would be proud to be the official Community Steward.
SBR1@usfamily.net
Congratulations, you are our winner! You will be contacted shortly via email with instructions on how to claim your prize.
Congrats Sharon….enjoy!!!
I’m so excited! I know our neighborhood will LOVE having one!
Congratulations!! sigh..i so wanted to win this!! enjoy it!!
The Little Free Library would be a wonderful and much-appreciated resource in the community surrounding the Sibley Manor apartments, located in St.Paul where West 7th Street becomes Hwy 5, just a few miles from the Mall of America. I was privileged to be the director of a St. Paul/Ramsey County Children’s Initiative family center serving that community for nearly 10 years. Most of the families in this vibrant neighborhood are recent immigrants, hailing from Africa, Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union, Mexico, Central and South America . Having a LFL would beautifully embody of the values of neighbors helping one another, responsibility and trust, while encouraging literacy and a love of reading, and helping to improve children’s readiness for school. I am more than willing to volunteer to facilitate this great community-building opportunity, and hope you select this worthy area to receive the Little Free Library.
Thank You!
I am very passionate about reading and I would really like to have little free library in my neighbourhood. I live in maple grove, minnesota.
“Books are the best” is the mantra in my 1st grade classroom! I would LOVE to continue this into my neighborhood. I am a huge animal and nature lover and would like to stock this Little Free Library with books about Minnesota animals and science. Kids love non-fiction. I have the perfect place for a library in my front garden, right by the street. I would add a bench for some sit down with a book time and hope my readers would enjoy the garden and nature around them! Thank you for considering how I could further the mission. LeAnn Weikle, lweikle@gmail.com
PS. This would be the first Little Free Libray in Lakeville