Hudson, Wisconsin (PRWEB) May 04, 2015
With its 25,000 free book exchanges worldwide, the non-profit Little Free Library® has made a big impact through its global literacy movement by bringing books to millions and building community through reading. It aims to do more by doubling and deepening its impact by 2017, and the Little Free Library Big Book Access Kickstarter Campaign to raise $50,000 by May 21 will accelerate this goal.
Many families who live in book deserts - rural or urban areas where books are difficult to access or afford. Children lack books in their homes or cannot access them elsewhere because they don’t have libraries in their schools, they live far from public libraries and their families cannot afford to buy books. For many families, taking care of basic needs will always take precedence over buying books. Little Free Libraries can be easily planted in communities where books are needed, providing endearing entry points to literature and building love of reading.
Little Free Libraries are increasingly being used by schools to provide books to students during and after school hours, and during school vacations. Teachers cite the “summer slide” of particular concern, when students can lose up to two-months of language proficiency during summer vacations. Teachers believe Little Free Libraries can help curb this loss of reading skills.
Little Free Libraries also build social capital - neighbors feel more connected to one another, isolated seniors feel less alone, children and adults read more together, and mutual understanding and trust can be more easily forged when people swap stories. Police departments from Los Angeles to Chattanooga are using Little Free Libraries to engage at-risk youths through reading citing this investment helps prevent delinquency and crime and helps youths to envision brighter futures. Youths see police officers in a more positive light because they feel supported.
“We want to make sure that Little Free Libraries are in places where children need books and where we can help strengthen communities through the power of books and reading. Our Kickstarter campaign will truly help kick start these efforts,” says Todd Bol, creator and Executive Director of Little Free Library.
Little Free Library Big Book Access Kickstarter Campaign to raise $50,000 runs now through May 21. Learn more at http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/kickstarter.
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