CASTORLAND — Seeing a need for a library in the village, a resident took it upon herself to create a Little Free Library for the “little village.”
“Having a Little Library is something I really wanted to do,” said Katie Zehr who wants to become a school librarian.
She said it is a 10- to 15-minute drive for village residents to visit any of the local libraries.
“We also have kids who go to Beaver River and Lowville school districts and two religious-affiliated schools our way, so I figured it could be fun for people of any age in the village and beneficial as well,” Ms. Zehr said.
Since she lives on Route 410, her home is not an ideal location for the book exchange cabinet. Therefore Ms. Zehr reached out to the Castorland Village Board, which approved the placement of the Little Library under the pavilion at the village park on Elm Street.
Since the Little Library was installed in September, it outgrew its original cabinet, which has been replaced by a larger one.
The Little Library has an ever-changing selection of books for all ages from toddler to adult with a variety of genres — fiction, science fiction, romance, mystery, historical fiction, realistic fiction, picture books and young adult books.
Recently, Ms. Zehr added an inventory of DVDs, games and jigsaw puzzles to the Castorland Little Library.
She also has reached out to authors to donate books.
“I contacted authors on Twitter to see if they would be interested in donating any of their books to our little library,” she said. “In return, I can then help them get their name more heard of and get the word out there about their books.”
“With those three options, I can let others know about these incredible authors and their talents. The authors and the (hashtag) -WritingCommunity on Twitter have been so supportive and kind,” she said. “Whether it has been donating books, retweeting my tweets, or in general just being kind, supportive people, it truly has been awesome. Getting to know them and also connect with them has been truly a worthwhile experience.”
The Croghan and Beaver Falls free libraries have donated books to the Little Library.
Ms. Zehr said the response from the public has been fair.
“I think people are still learning about us having a little library,” she said, adding that some may not want to get out in the winter weather.
She encourages people to get out and stock up on books since “wintertime is a great time to read.”
“In reality, anytime is a great time to read. Just have to find books you would like or want to try,” she said.
The motto for the Little Free Library Organization is “Take a book, share a book.”
Ms. Zehr uses the same philosophy, “so people can take a book and permanently keep it and then share a book when they can or they can borrow the book and bring it back when they are done.”
“I also have a guest book people can fill out when they come visit the Little Library,” she said.
The Little Free Library nonprofit organization, founded in 2012, has grown to be an international book exchange program throughout the United States and in more than 100 countries.
Ms. Zehr, a 2011 Beaver River Central School graduate, who has a degree in wellness management, works at her alma mater. In the fall, she plans to return to college to pursue a career as a school library media specialist.
February 06, 2022 at 06:30AM
https://www.nny360.com/artsandlife/booksandauthors/winter-reading-available-at-castorland-little-free-library/article_bb3fb2e6-d852-5e4c-a0f6-04e7dfecb947.html
Winter reading available at Castorland Little Free Library - NNY360
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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