Little free libraries, in my opinion, are one of the greatest “inventions” of the modern age. If you aren’t familiar with what they are, they are honor-system lending libraries that pop up in neighborhoods, parks, businesses, schools, and more. Often house-shaped, they are small cabinets on a post- unlocked and unguarded- filled with an assortment of books that anyone can take. The hope is, of course, that you leave one if you take one.
In fact, when my book was published in early 2021, I was pretty dejected about the timing. There were very few ways to market my book in-person due to current events at the time- and my publisher wasn’t exactly being proactive. But another author suggested that I take a few copies of my book and add them to little free libraries around town.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
While it wasn’t exactly a way to sell copies of my book, it was a way to get it out there. So, I used the official Little Free Library mapping tool to find them and leave copies of my book here and there around the greater Charlotte area.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Now, here we are a few years later. And I found myself feeling the pull to do something else- not with my book, necessarily, but with others. As a work-from-home blogger who moved to Charlotte at the height of isolation in 2020, I needed a way to connect with my community. And once again, I turned to Little Free Libraries to help me do that in a fun, unique, and (hopefully) beneficial way.
Thrifted Books for Little Free Libraries
At the heart of this, all I wanted to do was connect with my community in a quiet way. But selfishly, I wanted to also feel good about something. Not that blogging doesn’t fulfil me…but I wanted to organically connect to this area in a positive way that soothed my soul. Last year was pockmarked by loss, professional disappointment, sharp corners at every turn for me. I actually started going to therapy to deal with the mounting obstacles in my path- including ongoing horrors around the globe. Limiting my news intake helped, but I was still intimately aware of all the horrific happenings across the map.
I wanted to do something good so that I could feel like, in a microscopic way, I was helping.
Through that map of little libraries that I mentioned, I’d learned also the term “Book Desert”- areas around the city that weren’t located near a municipal library. Neighborhoods that were devoid of community or recreation centers that might give local residents access to reading material.
And that’s when I decided I could do something about those book deserts. So, I started thrifting children’s books.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
As someone who LOVES to go thrifting but doesn’t actually have kids, this was a new shelf for me to peruse! I started visiting all my favorite thrifting haunts again with a completely new purpose.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And I was reminded of just how colorful and fun kids’ books were. But I also had a propensity for nabbing retro titles/authors that I had lovingly read as a child.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Over and over again, I couldn’t help myself- books by Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Ann M. Martin, and others kept crossing my path. But, I figured some of them (especially Judy Blume) were timeless, even if the pop culture references were out of date.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And while I thrifted plenty of chapter books for older kids, I wanted to make sure I had books for younger kids as well. That’s when friends, neighbors, and kind-hearted strangers came into the picture.
Book Donations
As I gathered books and started filling up the little libraries around Charlotte, I documented my progress. I suppose it’s in my blogging blood now- to take photos of everything I do. To hold myself accountable to my new passion project, I started a separate Instagram account.
I assure you, I wasn’t looking for praise or anything like that- I just wanted a diary, of sorts, to lift my spirits when they started to sink.
But friends and neighbors took notice- and offers of donated books started coming in. This was another benefit of starting the book fairy Instagram account. And the best part was that so many of the donations were board books and picture books, which I needed more of.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The offers of donations made me misty. Admittedly, I cry very easily so it wasn’t surprising that this made me choke up. But it also reaffirmed that doing this- filling empty little libraries in Charlotte book deserts- was going to be a pretty easy task for me. And my neighbors, friends, and even strangers from Instagram were going to make sure of that.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The wild part is just how many books came flooding in. A huge credit to my neighbor, Sarah (we’re both Sarah R.s!) for working her network of moms. She was able to get me bags of books and got the word out to other neighbors with younger children. It was incredibly heartwarming to be a part of, and it made my contribution (physically filling the libraries) pretty effortless.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The best part was that I knew this wasn’t a one-time offering. Everyone told me to just say the word if I needed more books to distribute. It honestly felt like I was connecting with my community twice over.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Not only connecting with community in multiple ways, but doing so without spending much money. AND doing so with secondhand books!
Filling Up Little Free Libraries in Charlotte
With an unbelievable supply of thrifted and donated books, I went on multiple trips to different neighborhoods around Charlotte. There are a lot of little free libraries within the city, but not all of them need extra help to stay full. For the most part, I focused on those libraries that were actively labeled book deserts on the Little Free Library map.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Some were in neighborhoods, but others were at public schools, tuition-free daycare centers, and even churches.
Despite having SO many donations, there was still a learning curve with this passion project. For instance, most little free libraries are small or small-ish, and picture books can get pretty big. So, they wouldn’t always fit inside certain little libraries. In other instances, I ended up bringing the wrong books to the wrong locations- such as bringing board books to an elementary school little library. And chapter books to a daycare center- I just needed to do better planning next time.
But, I took notes on each location as I visited them. Hopefully, this will help me bring the right kinds of books and right sizes of books when I go to distribute them.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Ultimately, though, it’s a good reminder to me that perfection isn’t the goal here. Heck, even packing a little library until it bursts from the seams isn’t the goal. The goal is to add books to free little libraries that need them- it’s really that simple. More books that more little hands can hold and enjoy what I’m aiming for.
This passion project of mine is (hopefully) just getting started. I’m not exactly sure how to make it happen, but ultimately, I’d love to collaborate with neighborhoods and scout troops to add more little libraries around town. There are huge swaths of Charlotte that don’t have any on the map. Maybe, down the road, I can help do something about that. And then continue to be a conduit between thrifted/donated books and all the little free libraries that need book infusions from time to time.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I have ideas of how to go about this- different organizations I can contact, independent journalists I can talk to, etc. But I’m also open to suggestions if you have any. Either way, being “The Charlotte Book Fairy” (as I’ve named this endeavor) gives me something new and heartwarming to focus on. And it combines things I love (thrifting, reading) with things that I’ve been missing (connecting with community, building relationships with other kind-hearted souls).
Thank you so much for spending a few moments with me. This is a blog post that harkens back to the original days of blogging, 15-20 years ago, eh? I don’t know about you, but it’s a nice change of pace for me. No perfectly staged photos with exquisite lighting. No links to craft supplies to buy, etc. Just a friendly reminder that despite alllllll the ugliness and awfulness of the world, there are bright spots to hold onto. And it’s up to us to provide that light and keep it burning.
Cheers,
S
Want to be notified when I publish my next upcycling project tutorial?
Join me on Social Media:
Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
Have a question or like what you see? Please let me know!