City leaders, the Danville Regional Foundation and Danville Public Library hosted a ribbon cutting today, marking the opening of the first Little Free Library in Danville, a project made possible by a Danville Regional Foundation Make it Happen! Grant.
“The library is incredibly excited about the opportunity to share this Little Free Library project with the City of Danville,” said Shelly Hypes Janosko, library director. “It’s a great feeling to know that we can promote the importance of literacy, share our love of reading and carry out such a sense of community with this single project.”
The First Little Free Library is located on Bridge Street next to the Worsham Bridge memorial.
”It’s another fine day in the City of Danville,” said Mayor Sherman Saunders. “This Little Free Library is the first of what will be ten Little Free Libraries in Danville. We are proud that these Little Free Libraries are also the first to call Southwest Virginia home.”
The Little Free Library program began in Wisconsin in 2009 in order to “promote literacy and the love of reading.” Each Little Free Library acts as a free book exchange and offers patrons the option of taking a book from the unit and leaving one in its stead, borrowing a book for a short time and returning it or simply taking a book.
“If you see a book in a Little Free Library that you want to read, then take it,” said Janosko. “If you have a book that you would like to share, bring it to a Little Free Library. It’s that simple.”
While there are Little Free Libraries all over the world, Danville will have 10 of the first units in Southwest Virginia by February 2013. Each Little Free Library in Danville will initially be installed with a collection of books from Danville Public Library. Many of the books will be geared toward children; however there will be books for all ages. In the future, it will be up to the various agencies who have adopted the units to maintain the collection as well as the Little Free Library. Each organization has been asked to check on their unit from time to time and to supply new books or to contact the library for assistance.
“It will be especially fun to see how the collections change into something developed by our communities,” Janosko added. “There may be a few surprises for children in a few of the Little Free Libraries, but I won’t tell, you’ll have to find out on your own.”
Other Little Free Library locations include: Grove Park, Ballou Park, Danville Science Center/Crossing at the Dan, Green Street Park, the Institute of Advanced Learning and Research, Dan Daniel Memorial Park,
Adopting agencies include: Danville Science Center, Danville Historical Society, Institute of Advanced Learning and Research, Kiwanis Club of Danville, Danville Chapter of PFLAG, Danville Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.,
Each Little Free Library has a unique identification number and can be located on the Little Free Library Google map. For more information on the Little Free Library Program, visit www.LittleFreeLibrary.org or contact Janosko at 799-5195 or email janossh@ci.danville.va.us.
