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A Little Free Library stands at Patricia Cassidy Park in the Northeast Heights. Little Free Libraries were dreamed up in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin and have spread throughout the country. They serve as public libraries where people can exchange books in their communities.
A Little Free Library stands at Patricia Cassidy Park in the Northeast Heights. Little Free Libraries were dreamed up in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin and have spread throughout the country. They serve as public libraries where people can exchange books in their communities.

Green edition: Library-cycling makes literature local

As the movement to “go green” spreads, a popular method has cropped up in the form of Little Free Libraries.

A Little Free Library is a “take a book, give a book” structure in which neighborhoods and communities can exchange books — new or recycled — and other reading materials without having to organize and meet.

According to the LFL organization’s website, Todd Bol in 2009 constructed the first LFL in the form of a model schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother. He put the model on a post in his front yard and filled it with novels. Bol’s friends and neighbors loved his model, and so he built more for those who asked, each with a sign that read “free books.” Thus began the LFL movement.

Originating in Wisconsin, the LFL movement has spread to multiple countries around the world with hundreds of locations registered with the organization. According to the LFL website, there are four LFLs registered in Albuquerque.

Maria Rogahn, associate for the Zia Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, placed one of the registered LFLs in Zia Park a year ago. She said it was the idea of reusing books in a place that those in the Zia community could easily access that led to the creation of a LFL at Zia Park.

The Zia PTA had been searching for a project to collaborate on with the Highland Business and Neighborhood Association, Rogahn said. It made sense to build a LFL in Zia Park because there are no public libraries within walking distance of the Zia neighborhood, she said.

“The [former association] president, Olivia Jaramillo, had been an educator as well, and so we talked about what could be both a visual representation and also something useful for this community,” Rogahn said. “It seemed very obvious to both of us, as book lovers, that this is a great way to bring these two groups together.”

Ellis Waller, Rogahn’s father-in-law, built the Zia LFL to reflect the culture of New Mexico in a pueblo style. Though the little libraries are typically made with recycled materials, Waller said he used stucco and industrial Styrofoam to achieve the pueblo look. Zia’s little library is the only one in Albuquerque modeled after the iconic pueblo building.

Because of vandalism and deterioration, Waller said he has design plans for a replacement LFL using plywood instead of stucco. He said he hopes to maintain the pueblo style when he rebuilds it.

Joe Serio, a Zia neighborhood resident who visits the park twice a day with his dog, said he thinks the LFL is a great idea because it allows people to exchange books people might not otherwise come across in an informal way.

“Because otherwise, what do people do with the books?” Serio said. “They keep them, they let them stack up — which is great if you’re going to reuse them, but a lot of times you’re not going to.”

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Serio said the libraries are a great way for people to learn about their community as well as recycle books.

“There should be at least one in every neighborhood. They’re a great little source of surprises,” Serio said. “There is so little emphasis on reading and education today in circles that matter, so it’s good to see it happening, in even a small way.”

Although the library is well-received by many, some have mixed feelings about the freestanding book exchange.

Liz Lyons, a parent living in the neighborhood, said she also goes to the park about twice a week with her children. She said that while she thinks it is a good concept, she worries about her children having access to inappropriate content.

“With anything that’s free and open to the public, it’s probably going to have some things like that,” Lyons said. “There are a lot of really good ideas with good intentions, but I don’t think it’s something I would do.”

Lyons said she thinks it is better to stick to reusing books from actual libraries.

Skylar Griego is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter 
@DailyLobo.

Clarification: The Little Free Library in the photograph, located at Patricia Cassidy Park in the Northeast Heights, is a different library than the one described in the story. The Zia Park LFL is located near Nob Hill.

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