Little Free Libraries Map Posted

Little Free Libraries Map Posted By BRYAN GILKERSON Daily News- Record August 15, 2014 HARRISONBURG — Finding a good book to read just got a little easier. Sustain Hburg, a website dedicated to sustainability organizations and issues, now features an online map showing the locations of Little Free Libraries around the city. The miniature libraries, begun in Wisconsin in 2009, have become popular sidewalk staples around the county. When a visitor takes a book, they are expected to leave one in its place. Rosalind O’Brien, creator of Sustain Hburg, finds the Little Free Libraries concept to be inspirational. “I think it’s a great example of people sharing and connecting with each other in an unstructured way,” she said in an email. “So much about our lives is bound by rules, and involves expectations of getting something back for what we give.” In contrast, O’Brien said, the libraries allow people to use them as they see fit. O’Brien hopes that the map will not only allow people to find the little libraries, but can also point out where new ones could be placed. And she has future plans for the map as well. “We’d love to see the map grow to be a map of community resources related to sharing and sustainability in general,” she said. She thinks the addition of community gardens and recycling and waste disposal centers to the map could prove helpful, and welcomes suggestions from the public about what they would like to see. The map shows the locations of four miniature libraries at Eastern Mennonite University, Friendly City Food Co-op on North Mason Street, on East Wolfe Street and outside Emmanuel Episcopal Church on South Main Street. To view the map, or to inform Sustain Hburg of an unmapped or new little library, visit www. sustainhburg.com or the organization’s Facebook page. Contact Bryan Gilkerson at 574 6267 or [email protected]