by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Have you noticed a few more Little Free Libraries around St. Joseph lately? If you have not yet had a chance to check any of them out, now might be a good time.
There are libraries located by the Minnesota Street Market and by the Millstream Shops. The Minnesota Street Market one states it was donated as a collaborative effort between the College of St. Benedict’s Office of Sustainability, CSB Senate, St. John’s Abbey Woodworking and the Minnesota Street Market. It was built in 2014 by Matthew Palmquest of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps and was constructed with scrap wood and recovered materials.
A year ago, local resident and teacher Abby Lyon, husband Rob and neighbor Bryan Tadych built and placed libraries in five city parks that included Cloverdale, Hollow, Klinefelter, Northland and the Lake Wobegon Trailhead. Other friends and neighbors also helped work on the libraries. The latest park to receive a library is Centennial Park.
The St. Joseph Lions and St. Joseph Jaycees donated to the park libraries and, along with area Cub Scouts, sponsor some of them.
Lyon said she started the libraries because, as a teacher, she enjoys books and seeing children’s excitement when it comes to reading. Abby and Rob Lyon have two children Nick, 6; and Nora, 4. Rob is a police officer.
“Seeing the library boxes that were assembled near the Local Blend, along with ones located in nearby communities like Avon and Sartell, I felt like this is a great way to not only build the feeling of community (St. Joseph) has, but provide a free and easy way for people to share their love of reading,” Lyon said.
She started out thinking she would put one in their yard, but due to being located on a fairly busy intersection, she felt it would not be safe and accessible to people. After talking to city council members Matt Killam and Dale Wick, she was put in contact with Public Works Director Terry Thene, and the idea grew to what it is now.
“There has been some wear and tear, so each fall we update and fix any issues on the boxes,” Lyon said. “Last winter, we took them down completely over the winter but plan to keep them up this year.”
Last summer, the library in Klinefelter Park appeared to be vandalized when the door and the donating organization sign were missing, but Lyon said the door was found and repaired, so no police report was ever filed.
“We have overall been very fortunate with the use of the boxes and the care,” Lyon said. “If there is an issue, people are very quick to contact me via email or through the Facebook page. Individuals have been great about refilling boxes through the simple “Take a Book Leave a Book” concept, but I have also had individuals contact me and drop off books at my home and doorstep. One day, I came home to three boxes full of books that I have been able to circulate and use for restocking the boxes.”
Lyon said they will paint the posts to match the colorful doors that were rebuilt last winter due to bad construction and damage.
“This will add a little fun and pop of color to the boxes, making them easier to see and find in the parks,” Lyon said.
Killam said he has been a frequent user of the libraries around St. Joseph. He and his four children Mason, 9; Jake, 7; Devon 5; and infant, Melanie, visit the libraries and the various parks about once every other week.
Killam said he has noticed there is a good turnover of books at the libraries, and this offers them a nice selection to choose from. He likes the libraries can be accessed at any time and on any day of the week.
The Little Free Libraries are part of a national movement which began in 2009 when Todd Bol built a model of a one-room school house in Hudson, Wis., as a tribute to his mother who had been a teacher, and started giving away free books.
The movement spread and has a mission “to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. And a goal to build 2,510 libraries – as many as Andrew Carnegie – and to keep going.”
Little Free Library boxes are set up in area neighborhoods, and people can drop off or borrow books free of charge. There is no check-out system.
The libraries allow people to share their books and love of reading with others. Most libraries contain both adult and children’s books.
The network of registered free libraries has specific criteria and size requirements for building the libraries.
Lyon has established a Facebook page which can be found by searching “Little Free Library” on Facebook.
Lyon said she started her Facebook page with the following comments, which were taken from the Little Library webpage and adjusted for St. Joseph:
“What’s in the library today?” people might ask as they stroll through their neighborhood. Maybe one library has mystery stories, one has picture books for kids and another has memoirs. Down the block, an English teacher shares her favorite novel while another resident puts out a new book every month about canning, gardening or bird watching. Some fifth-grade girls exchange Judy Blume stories while the boys are being introduced to Huckleberry Finn and (The Adventures of) Tom Sawyer. A wooden bench sits next to the Little Library in Cloverdale Park. A group of bicyclists stop at the Lake Wobegon Trail and share a book of poems written by Garrison Keillor. The nightly walkers, children and elders alike, sit and read to one another and then pass on the love of reading just by placing used, well-read books into a simply constructed box.”
Lyon encourages library users to post photos of their visits to the libraries on the Facebook page.
Abby Lyon and her son, Nathan, stand by a Little Free Library located by the Lake Wobegon Trailhead. The Lyon family has helped build and place libraries at area parks.
Ian Salzer (left to right), Nathan Lyon and Wyatt Salzer visit the Little Free Library located in Klinefelter park, which was donated by the St. Joseph Jaycees.
This Little Free Library is located by the Minnesota Street Market. A metal plate on it states it was donated as a collaborative effort between the College of St. Benedict’s Office of Sustainability, CSB Senate, St. John’s Abbey Woodworking and the Minnesota Street Market. It was built in 2014 by Matthew Palmquest of the Benedictine Volunteer Corps and was constructed with scrap wood and recovered materials.
This Little Free Library, located by the Lake Wobegon Trailhead, has been repainted and a new door has been installed.
