Books

The Little Free Library Festival Looks Adorable

by Emma Oulton

If you're going to be in Minneapolis on May 21, you might want to head over to the most adorable festival of all time: the first ever Little Free Library Festival. Crafty book-lovers are invited to come and build their own tiny little libraries, 100 of which will be shipped off to communities across the country to promote literacy. (You can make an extra to take home, too!)

You might have seen Little Free Libraries cropping up on street corners or sidewalks — or you might recognize the concept from the book-swapping shelves sometimes found in hostels or coffee shops. Unlike traditional libraries, there are no cards, deadlines, or late return fees; Little Free Libraries merely encourage people to leave a book of their own behind to replace whatever exciting novel they picked up.

This concept has been going for some time, but the official Little Free Library organization was set up by Todd Bol in 2009, who has installed over 400 free libraries in hidden nooks and crannies across the U.S. "[It's] about readers inspiring readers inspiring readers," Bol told BookRiot — and it sounds like a brilliant idea, if you ask me.

Anyone who attends the festival will get to take part in a range of book-centric activities, from literary costume competitions to a Harry Potter trivia contest. It all sounds delightful — but building your own Little Free Library has got to be the highlight.

Even if you can't make the festival itself, why not try building your own book-swap library at home? This is such an adorable idea — and if it gets more people in your neighborhood reading, then what's not to love?!

Image: LisetteBrody/Pixabay