Later this month, there will be a celebration taking place to commemorate the Greater Victoria region’s 1,000th little free library (LFL).
This celebration is being planned by the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network, who have taken it upon themselves to map out the libraries and keep them stocked with books.
For those who don’t know, the region’s LFLs are little book boxes that operate on the principle of ‘leave a book – take a book.’
People in the region build these LFLs in all shapes and sizes, then stock them with whatever they want to try to share unused items with neighbours in the name of building community.
Most share books, however many LFLs share plants, seeds, toys, yarn, household items, board games, puzzles, art supplies, art, food and more instead.
The GVPN has been helping to manage, build, promote and keep track of the LFLs since 2017under the umbrella of their ‘Pocket Places Project.’
To date, the project has reportedly delivered over 128,000 books to LFLs across the region, has mapped out 1,000 LFLs,and helped set up over 135 LFLs.
“Whenever I talk to someone about little free libraries, they always have a story to share,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, volunteer lead of the Pocket Places Project who can be regularly found cycling around the region with a bike trailer full of books, topping up LFLs
“Sometimes it’s finding the next book in a series they were looking for, finding a book with a wacky title or cover art, but more often than not, I hear stories about how these humble little book boxes bring neighbours together, create connections between people, and ultimately how they help foster community.”
As part of the upcoming celebration of all things LFL, the GVPN is hoping for those with stories about their free library experiences to share them, so they can be a part of the festivities.
Additionally, the GVPN is hoping for those who have built LFLs to share pictures.
Phelps Bondaroff says that stories can be any length, and those submitting stories are asked to include the name they would like attributed to the story.
“As we celebrate our region hitting the massive milestone of over 1,000 little free libraries, we want to celebrate this moment by capturing some of the amazing stories that people have to tell,” he explained.
Once submissions are in, select stories will be selected to be shared at the celebration and on social media.
Submissions can be emailed to GVPN.
“Little Free Libraries are about so much more than books — they are sparks of connection,” said Bella Lee GVPN board member.
“We hear over and over again that people meet, laugh, and share through these little boxes, and we want to capture some of these amazing and heartwarming stories.”
The GVPN’s 1,000th Little Free Library Festival will take place on Saturday, September 20th, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Oaklands Community Centre (2827 Belmont Avenue).
This event will be family-friendly and will include live music, crafts, games, food, story-sharing and of course, books.
Little Free Library Festival
- Where: Oaklands Community Centre, located at 2827 Belmont Avenue
- When: Saturday, September 20th, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm
