Little library remains open for students - Bartlesville, OK - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

A free book exchange at a local elementary school offers reading material to children (and the community) even when the school is closed.

Article text:

Even though schools remain closed, Bartlesville students can still foster a lifelong love for reading at the city’s tiniest library.

Located in front of Jane Phillips Elementary School at 1500 S. Rogers Ave., a “Little Free Library” is available for all ages and is open every day.

“Our little library is always open even when the school and public library is closed. It is open to the entire community come take a book and share a book with your fellow neighbors,” said Christel Poston, Jane Phillips librarian.

A mandate by the Oklahoma board of education to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic has suspended all instruction statewide, including virtual schools, home-based and distance learning until at least April 5.

It is currently safe to use the library, but stewards are urged to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including using hand sanitizer and practice social distancing.

“Let’s keep our children reading it helps brain development, builds family relationships by bonding over a book and builds language development,” Poston said.

Michael Wray, a volunteer with Jane Phillips Elementary School, constructed the “Little Free Library” in front of the school in 2019. The motivation for the freestanding library box is to simply spread the joy of reading.

It can hold about 100 books, according to Poston.

“We are a little library focused on children’s literature, so any children’s books even board books are great or young adult literature,” she said. “The main thing I enjoy about it is it provides access to books even when the library is closed.”

Indeed, unlike a traditional library, this one isn’t a building where people check out books from a librarian.

Anyone can take a book — or two, or five. There’s no obligation to return them, though that is always welcome. And visitors are encouraged to leave a book or two of their own.

More about little free libraries

What started as a simple idea became a global literacy movement. The first Little Free Library book-sharing box was built in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin. Today there are 90,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all 50 states and more than 90 countries, from Argentina to Zambia.

The Little Free Library nonprofit organization is at the heart of this phenomenon. The growing network shares the mission to inspire a love of reading, build community, and provide book access for all.

More than 120 million books have been shared through registered Little Free Libraries, increasing book access for readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 03/25/2020 Publication: Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Kids/Youth

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