Little Free Libraries bring togetherness for students

By Brooke Landreth

Little Free Libraries on TCC campuses are similar to birdhouses. They are colorful wooden boxes containing different books for students, staff and faculty to read.Bogdan Sierra Miranda/The Collegian
Little Free Libraries on TCC campuses are similar to birdhouses. They are colorful wooden boxes containing different books for students, staff and faculty to read.
Bogdan Sierra Miranda/The Collegian

TCC campuses offer individuals an alternative to checking out books from the library with a free community book exchange.

Library services assistant director Alex Potemkin operates the Little Free Library on NE Campus.

“The Little Free Libraries provide students, faculty and staff with an opportunity to share their favorite literature or books with others in the campus and community,” Potemkin said.

The first library was built near the Children’s Center last fall, and the second one was established earlier this year on the southwest corner of the library.

The Little Free Libraries on campus are colorful wooden boxes that resemble a birdhouse. The libraries have a small glass door opening containing many different books inside for students to read.

“The purpose of these Little Free Libraries nationally were to put these in neighborhoods where the neighborhoods would shepherd them and have an opportunity to come together as a community,” Potemkin said.

The idea spread to college campuses and neighborhoods around the world.

“We started with a generous donation from Half Price Books where they donated five boxes worth of books,” he said.

Little Free Libraries help get books in the hands of people who may not have books and encourage the community to select a book of their choice and replace it with a book they would like others to read.

“They look like birdhouses, but I saw that there were books in there,” NE student Karina Cruz said. “I was curious as to what they were for.”