The Little Free Library organization began in 2009 when Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin built a miniature model of a one room schoolhouse, filled it with books, and installed it in his front yard, inviting neighbors to take a book or leave a book. The organization became a registered non-profit in 2012, spreading the idea of sharing free books by way of tiny front yard libraries across the country and then globally. Today, the organization is headquartered in Saint Paul, and it estimates that more than 150,000 Little Free Libraries have been installed in about 120 countries world-wide.

Reporter Rob McGinley Myers first noticed the free libraries when he began taking daily walks around his Como Park neighborhood in Saint Paul. He loved looking through the books on offer, but he began to wonder about the people who ran the libraries out of their front yards. So Rob started knocking on doors, asking the little library owners to tell him what inspired them to install their own library and how it had changed their relationship to the neighborhood.

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Why do you run a Little Free Library?

MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program. We produce audio documentaries exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history — stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between.

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