This past weekend, neighbours and bookworms from the area gathered as the 850th ‘Little Free Library (LFL) in Greater Victoria was revealed and officially opened for readers in the region.
This LFL, which was given the apt name “Put A Bird On It”, was installed at 818 Piedmont Gardens by Lana Popham, BC Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and MLA for Saanich South along with her partner, Dr. Rob Sealey.
“We are so happy to have the 850th LFL in our cul-de-sac at Piedmont Gardens. We love our neighbourhood because of our connections with our neighbours, but we also have many visitors coming through from Doumac Park,” said Minister Popham.
“Having this new friendly gathering place is a wonderful way to encourage positive human exchanges and for people to know they are welcome.”
This artsy LFL was built by a local artist, Michael Sheane. He is known for his folky creations that are inspired by the unusual.
Sheane made the LFL from gathered and recycled material including an old glass paned window, a decommissioned tailpipe and some scrap metal collected by Popham and her partner.
The crow, the nest, and the eggs were carved by Sheane.
“My art work is about reaction. I like to make my pieces practical but always a little whimsical. The definition of a folk artist is using what you find in a practical, artistic way,” said Sheane.
“When Lana told me about the LFL project I wanted to be on board right away. I think the piece compliments the surroundings including the stunning garden. The neighbours hopefully will love their LFL.”
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For those unfamiliar, LFLs are small book boxes installed along boulevards throughout the Capital Regional District (CRD) that come in all shapes and sizes.
They are made with the intent to share books for free, on a “take a book, leave a book” system.
Some share more than books as well, with the people who curate them sharing seeds, food, hygiene products, toys, arts supplies and more.
The LFLs are overseen by the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network’s Pocket Places Project, which is overseen on a volunteer basis by Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Pocket Places Project Lead and Saanich Councillor.
Phelps Bondaroff can often be seen riding a cargo bike filled to the brim with books he is distributing throughout the LFL network.
To date, the project has delivered over 104,000 books to LFLs across the CRD, mapped out 850 LFLs, and helped set up over 125 LFLs.
“Having neighbours flocking to this little free library was a delight and a fantastic example of how something as simple as a little book box can bring people together and foster community,” said Phelps Bondaroff.
“Little free libraries have really taken flight in the region, and it’s hard to believe that there are now 850 of these delightful book boxes across the region. The creativity of our community seems to know no bounds.”
To see a full map of all 850+ LFLs in the Greater Victoria region and find one close to you, click here.
