Editor’s note: This is the second of two stories on Little Free Libraries around the area. This week’s article features the stories of Eric Groshardt and Dan and Patty Fasching. Last week’s article featured libraries by Jarett Edwards and Amy Miller.
Eric Groshardt of Annandale heard about the Little Free Libraries while watching college football.
"It was a Wisconsin Badgers game, but I don’t remember who they were playing," Groshardt said. "There was an advertisement for the university promoting the Little Free Libraries, and that was it."
Eric, who has a large collection of books and a room in his home devoted to his own personal library, immediately decided to start a Little Free Library to encourage a book exchange in the neighborhood.
"I am not the handy type, so I first ordered a bookshelf on E-Bay," he said.
When the order fell through, Groshardt began to look for a small book box wherever he went. Finally, on a trip to Oronoco, he found one for sale during a summer festival. Ecstatic, Eric and his partner, Wade Smith, put up the bookshelf at the edge of their yard on the corner of Birch Street and Oak Avenue in Annandale. They named their site The Birch Street Neighborhood Library.
"I saw a few people come by the first year, but when we did some landscaping the next year, the number of visitors really increased," said Groshardt, who added that creating an inviting area helped pique people’s interest and grab their attention.
Noting that his own Little Free Library is only a couple blocks from the book box next to Miller’s Jewelry, he said it is fun to see people walking over from Main Street with a book in their hand to check out his stop as well.
The concept of the Little Free Libraries is that – well – they’re free. Anyone stopping by can take a book, then return it or bring a book of their own to share with others. Sharing the joy of reading is really what it’s all about. Although there have been reports of Little Free Libraries in the Twin Cities being robbed – ostensibly so that robbers can sell the books at second hand stores or online – Groshardt says that hasn’t really been a problem in Annandale.
Still, he once saw someone pull up with a trailer. When he went out to look, all the hardbacks were gone. The Little Free Library organization has stamps that participants can order so that they can stamp your books with the name of their library. That way, second-hand booksellers are less likely to purchase them since they know they were stolen.
Additional ideas to limit vandalism and theft are discussed on both the Little Free Library website and Facebook page.
"I tend to collect books, so this is actually helping me thin out my collection," said Groshardt. "But I also have co-workers who bring me books that they have enjoyed to put in the library, so it is not just books from my collection that get put out there. I like there to be a variety. And if I have two of one book I put them both out, so that people who may both want to read the same book – or read the book together – can do that."
Fasching’s library
Dan and Patty Fasching of Clearwater Lake made sure to put books for all ages in their Little Free Library. Summer cabin owners for many years, they recently moved out to the lake full time after retiring from jobs in the Twin Cities.
"We want to encourage our grandkids to read, so we put out lots of kids’ books. Then when they come to visit, they can just go out and take a book from the little library to read," said Patty, who taught elementary school for many years in Minneapolis.
As people walked along the lake during the summer, the Faschings were able to watch other kids – as well as adults – from the area enjoy the library too.
"It doesn’t get quite as much use during the winter, since there aren’t as many people here – and there aren’t as many people out walking," said Patty. "But we still keep it stocked. And we try to put interesting seasonal choices out as well. My mother used to enjoy books like ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul,’ so we had books like that out there, as well as cookbooks and magazines."
There is also plenty of variety for the kids, including books on volcanoes, exciting places, fishing, mysteries and more.
But it was Dan, a carpenter by trade, who found the materials and put the library together. Their little library is made mostly of weather-resistant cedar, left over from a job Dan did in the past. The doors are pine, and came from a cabinet the couple had decided to replace. Dan treated the doors with an exterior finish that offers protection for wood from sun, water and temperature changes.
The Faschings added a couple chairs near the library, as well as a few unique items to set their library apart. A statue of a giraffe sits in front of the post. Sometimes, other items that are inviting to children find their way there. And over the holiday season, the Faschings added Christmas lights and other decorations.
But the main thing that the Faschings hope for in establishing their Little Free Library is to share the joy and the passion of reading. In a year filled with many transitions – retirement, moving to the lake full time, as well as other things, the Faschings created and maintained their Little Free Library faithfully and carefully, finding interesting books to put out for anyone who wants to stop by.
Going viral
Little Free Libraries have grown "virally" in the seven years since the first one was established in Hudson, Wisconsin. In an age of handheld electronics and computer games, the little libraries are bringing people together to share a love of reading and books. They can be found in countries all around the world, including South Africa, India, Norway, France, and even China. Although many people like to build or design their own, https://littlefreelibrary.org has some readily available.
■ Additional information on Little Free Libraries is available in Margaret Aldrich’s "The Little Free Library Book" available through the Great River Regional Library system.