OTTUMWA —
She loves to read, he loves to build, so a local couple decided to put their zeal together and benefit the community.
Marshall and Sarah Dias saw a news story out of Des Moines about a free book exchange, called a Little Free Library. A host, called a the “steward,” puts out a weatherproof bookcase in a publicly accessible area.
Readers borrow a book to read without needing to check with anyone. They’re encouraged to either return the book when they’re done, or, if they’d like to keep it, to donate a different book — something they enjoyed reading. But if they just loved the book and had nothing to offer, then they can consider it a gift.
Thefts?
“You can’t really steal a free book,” said Sarah.
Even if one could, she said, the person might actually end up doing some reading, which is fine with her. The Little Free Library movement has at least one outpost in the majority of U.S. states as well as several countries — all run by volunteers.
The idea, wrote the founders, who built the first LFL in Wisconsin, is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building community or neighborhood book exchanges (Little Free Libraries) worldwide.
“We just looked at each other,” said Marshall. “It was perfect for us.”
“We could do this, and that would be a lot of fun,” Sarah recalled saying.
They got on the Little Free Library web page, where the founders shared motivation and methods.
Marshall said the enclosed bookcase they spent several days building is constructed of recycled material, including old wooden palettes.
“We get pleasure out of paying it forward for the next generation,” Marshall said, and he hopes others will be inspired to do something they believe in.
“We posted this on Facebook last night (on Monday), and started to get positive feedback immediately,” Sarah said.
Neighbors and friends wanted to donate books and volunteer to watch the little library stand from their window. Marshall and Sarah will be the “stewards” who will check on the safety of the little library.
It’s not about competing with any library, the family said, it’s about having more books accessible to more people.
“We had a lot of joy building the little library,” Marshall said. “It’s something we can do together [as a couple], and we’re having the time of our lives the past couple weeks, designing and building. People are really excited to see something new and unique right here in Ottumwa.”
He’s hoping if others want to do the same thing, they’ll let him help build the Little Free Library. At their historic Court Hill home, he added a touch to the case that none of the hundreds of other stewards had thought of: The weatherproof case doesn’t keep out humidity or heat. A small, solar-powered exhaust fan will help with air circulation.
One day, he’d like to build a second LFL designed like the 1865 house he and his wife have been restoring.
“We love our house, we love where we live and we love Ottumwa,” Sarah said. “We want it just to be about sharing. It was amazing. It’s become a growing movement in Ottumwa already.”
For more information, go to littlefreelibrary.org, but if you’d like some help locally, call Marshall at 641-777-7046.
Unveiling of library planned Friday
The Dias say they should have a pretty well-stocked library by 11 a.m. Friday, when we do the unveiling in front of their home at 614 N. Court St.
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Related Photos
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Sarah and Marshall Dias of Ottumwa flip through some of the books in their Little Free Library. The dedication of the grassroots community betterment project will be Friday. Mark Newman/The Courier
Little Free Library opens
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