ACES Little Free Library
Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that builds community and a love of reading, by fostering millions of neighborhood book exchanges around the world. These “libraries” are small, well-made wooden boxes on a pole housing books for any age or interest inside. A small sign simply states, “Give one~ Take one.”
“One of the most successful ways to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase their access to books, especially at home (McGill-Franzen & Allington, 2009). A Little Free Library can do just that by providing books for children, their parents and our community any time of day, especially in an area where the nearest library before or after school hours is more than 10 miles away.
Donated and constructed by Janis Pargas and Jim Evans, a retired contractor and also Janis’s father, the little free library is yellow and black and made to the specifications on the Little Free Library website www.littlefreelibrary.org). The stand was donated and attached by Pargas’s neighbor Jeff Schmidt. It truly was a group effort making this a reality in hopes that the school and community will enjoy it and help to sustain it by following the simple rule of giving a gently used book before taking one.
The Avenue City fifth grade class will be overseeing the library this year. They will be helping check and mark the books and keep the library clean. ACES Little Free Library is located near the flagpole by the main entrance to Avenue City School. It will officially open for the community Friday, August 25th.