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Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Rachel Estes, founder of Homewood’s Little Free Libraries, poses near the little library outside her home.
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Photo courtesy of Catherine Walker.
Catherine Walker set up her Little Free Library, shaped like a red barn, in front of her Hollywood home around Christmas 2016.
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Map courtesy of Little Free Libraries.
A map of Homewood’s Little Free Library locations.
From fiction and biographies to high school class reading lists, books of every kind pass through the little blue house on a tree stump in Rachel Estes’ front yard.
The Saulter Road resident was one of the first in Homewood to set up a Little Free Library, and Estes said she sees a steady flow of walkers, runners and drivers stop at her front yard to pick up a new book to read or drop off books for others to try out.
Little Free Libraries have been built in yards, parks and other locations around the world. They can look like a basic box or be built and decorated however their creators want.
Estes said no matter the appearance of the library, the rules are the same: take books you think you’ll enjoy, leave books behind you no longer read and keep the Little Free Library available to everyone.
“I think it’s just been super fun to watch people — walkers, joggers of all ages, from the Samford students to older people who walk by on their strolls — they all glance in it, sometimes they circle back,” Estes said.
There are now 22 Little Free Libraries around Homewood. The locations include Homewood’s parks, elementary schools and Homewood Middle School, as well as All Saints Episcopal Church and private residences.
Estes said her longstanding front yard library means people instantly know which house is hers, and she sometimes gets calls from people interested in setting up their own.
She said she would like to see more Little Free Libraries pop up in Rosedale and in the Forest Brook area.
“I don’t know all the people who have them, but I would love to know what people’s stories are, why they chose to put one in there and how the flow is going,” Estes said.
Hollywood resident Catherine Walker got her own Little Free Library at Christmas 2016, a red barn built by her sons. Walker is a friend of Estes, and “every time we would drive down Saulter and see hers, I would say something about how that’s so fun,” which prompted the gift of a library of her own.
Estes and Walker said being a steward of a Little Free Library isn’t a big time commitment, as they just have to check to make sure it’s stocked and keep it clean and organized. Both women said they pull from their own bookshelves and visit library sales and thrift stores to keep the boxes stocked with a variety of books.
“In order for it to be not just something there, it really needs to be cared for,” Estes said. “If you’re not interested in doing it, then it just becomes a box in your front yard.”
There have only been a few occasions when Estes said she needed to remove something left in the library.
“I did go to library school and so, in library school you learn not to censor … but when it’s something in your own yard, you get to have the option of taking out things you would rather not have in there,” Estes said.
Walker said it’s important to make sure there’s something in the Little Free Library for everyone, from children to adults and classic fiction to new releases. Her neighbors quickly adopted her library and help keep it stocked as well.
Estes said a common sight at her own library is books from class reading lists, so older students can share with upcoming students when they no longer need those books.
“Sometimes things go quickly, and sometimes they sit there a while,” Walker said of books in her library.
Finding Homewood’s Little Free Libraries is about to be simpler. Amy Milam, a Homewood resident and adjunct professor at Samford University, saw a Facebook post from Estes about wanting to map the library locations. She decided it was a perfect project to use for her GIS (geographic information systems) mapping class.
Six of Milam’s students spent about three weeks this spring finding and mapping the libraries around Homewood, collecting longitude and latitude data as well as pictures and information about their condition. This information was put into a map in March.
“I love the idea of an app. I love the idea of helping people discover this cool community resource,” said Estes, who has previously created scavenger hunts and other activities to encourage finding Little Free Libraries.
Milam said she wants to find a way to make the map publicly available, possibly as an interactive app or by working with the city or Homewood Public Library, though she hasn’t approached them yet.
Milam is frequently at the Patriot Park location herself, and she said they seem to be growing in popularity.
“I’m always putting stuff in there from when my son outgrows a series of books,” Milam said of the Patriot Park Little Free Library. “There are a lot and they are popping up all the time.”
Milam said she enjoys seeing each Little Free Library’s unique character and design.
“I just think the sort of quaintness of it is encouraging people to be more excited about books,” Milam said.
Estes said she doesn’t feel like Little Free Libraries are a replacement for regular libraries or book stores, but they are a way to make reading more accessible and share books with friends and strangers.
“Part of the joy, I think, of a Little Free Library is it is what it is, and hopefully you’re doing it to bring joy to the community and books, and getting books into people’s hands,” she said. “This is just another way to add to meeting your neighbor.”
Visit littlefreelibrary.org for more information about owning a Little Free Library and to find a worldwide map of registered locations. See the map of Homewood locations through the city website.
