Lend a Little
SLIPPERY ROCK — Little Free Libraries are a global phenomenon. The small, front yard and sidewalk book exchange boxes number nearly 50,000, and can be found in all 50 states and in 70 countries around the world — from Iceland to Tasmania to Pakistan. Now, Slippery Rock can be added to that list.
The Stone House Center for Public Humanities (CPH) at Slippery Rock University, in partnership with Slippery Rock Community Library, has donated a Little Free Library to share books, bring people together and create communities of readers.
Located on Main Street in front of North Country Brewery, the Little Free Library box will be available year-round.
Community members and passers-by are invited to give a book they've enjoyed or take a book that sparks their interest.
The Little Free Library also will be regularly stocked with books by the Slippery Rock Community Library.
“I love the idea that a visitor can take a souvenir from the free, little library of Slippery Rock that will remind them of our fabulous town,” said Karen Pierce, director of the library.
Said Aaron Cowan, CPH co-director and SRU associate professor of history, “The Center for Public Humanities is all about making it easier for everyone to enjoy reading and learning at every stage of life. Sponsoring a Little Free Library just seemed like a natural fit with our mission. It's our hope this Little Free Library will be embraced and used by the community.”
Through the Little Free Libraries initiative, millions of books are exchanged across the nation each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.
The Little Free Library nonprofit organization has been honored by the Library of Congress, the National Book Foundation, and the American Library Association, and Reader's Digest named them one of the “50 Surprising Things We Love about America.”
In addition to the Little Free Library, the CPH sponsors a variety of public programs, including community reading programs, historic floodways workshops, and digital humanities projects.
For more information, visit www.stonehousecph.org.
