LYNN — Aborn Elementary School recently installed two “Little Free Libraries” outside of the school for members of the community to take and donate books.
The blue wood box contains children’s books, while the gray one holds a variety of adult fiction and nonfiction.
These libraries are officially registered with the nonprofit organization Little Free Library, which promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of outdoor, public bookcases. There are currently more than 90,000 public book exchanges registered with the organization and branded as Little Free Libraries.
Anyone can sign up to register for a little library on the website, where those interested in joining the movement can obtain free library-building instructions. The site also has an online store with library models and building kits. The organization even gives access to free or discounted books, and also distributes a regular newsletter with ideas and advice for participating ‘librarians.’
Aborn Principal Katia Spiess said she was excited to install these libraries with the help of her friends Casey and Erin Foote — both engineers at General Electric — and the team built the libraries with materials sent in a kit by the Little Free Library organization.
“It’s not just for the school community just because it’s on school property. It’s for everyone,” Spiess said.
Aborn typically has a parent-run library inside of the school, but they were unable to run it for the past year because of COVID-19.
Spiess said the idea for the Little Free Libraries started last year, but was implemented over April vacation shortly after the school’s school council brainstormed ideas to engage the community and families.
“They’re perfect, because you can just come and take a book or leave a book,” Spiess said. “As an official Little (Free) Library, it’s open to the public and anyone can come.”
Spiess said she has seen Little Free Libraries popping up since the pandemic forced municipal libraries to close for a while. All of the official Little Free Libraries can be located on the Little Free Library’s world map, a tool to help people find and share books wherever they are.
Spiess said Aborn is really trying to look at the libraries with an “equity lens” by including books that represent the students and the community.
“That’s part of the work that we are doing as a district this year. It’s just really starting to look at everything we do through that equity lens and taking all of that into consideration when we make decisions such as books,” Spiess said. “We’re trying to be mindful.”
According to the Little Free Libraries website, more than 30 million adults in the United States cannot read or write above a third-grade level, but studies have shown that providing children with books has a large impact on improving literacy.
“The more books in or near the home, the more likely a child will learn and love to read,” the nonprofit organization said. “But two out of three children living in poverty have no books to call their own.”
Little Free Libraries said an average of one book is shared per day through the libraries and about 92 percent of people said they feel their neighborhood is friendlier because of them.
This is one of many projects that Aborn has undertaken to engage with the neighborhood and the school community. About two years ago, Aborn partnered with The Food Project to install two garden beds in the school yard to grow produce. During COVID-19, Spiess said she has been managing the garden but hopes students and families can get more involved once the pandemic slows down and things start to get back to normal.
Spiess said some students did stop by the garden last summer and painted rocks to decorate the area, but she hopes to have the students work with her in the garden next year when everyone is hopefully back to in-person learning.
Aborn also worked with students from Lynn Tech a couple of years ago to install murals on the concrete panels outside of the school. The murals were painted by Aborn students in their after-school art class and Lynn Tech students came to the school twice to put the panels up.
When walking into Aborn, another artistic project on display can be seen: a giant sunflower credited to Raw Art Works. Spiess said this was part of a traveling art installation about three years ago that ended at Aborn, so they were able to keep it in the main entryway to greet people as they entered the front door.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
