Butler Catholic teacher Jennifer Friel helps students sort through some of the more than 1,600 books collected during a book drive for the little free libraries in the county.

The fifth-graders at Butler Catholic School have been hitting the books this week. But it's not in preparation for finals at the end of the school year.

The 35 members of the classes of Jennifer Friel, Sara Skwirut and Rosemary Watson have been sorting the 1,600 books they've collected as part of the grade's community service project.

The books, ranging from young children's pop-up volumes to Stephen King paperbacks — were gathered in March.

The fifth-graders are arranging the books for their eventual destinations, the 25-neighborhood little free libraries in Butler County and the empty library shelves of Broad Street Elementary School before the school reopens in the fall for the 2021-22 school year.

The little free libraries are neighborhood book exchanges housed in freestanding public bookcases.

“This year was unique. We were all trying to do a community project,” Friel said.

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Fifth-graders Leah Chau, left, Drew Weifenbaugh and Leslie Best sort books Thursday afternoon as part of Butler Catholic School’s service project to fill free neighborhood libraries.

Butler Catholic collected over 1600 books during a book drive to place books inside the little free library outside the school. Harold Aughton/Butler Eagle.