This is Your Library: A Little Free Library for Little Boston

New shelves are coming to the Little Boston branch, and in this new addition, the doors are always open. 

Kitsap Regional Library's Little Boston location has been awarded a grant from the Indigenous Library Program of Little Free Library. The grant covers the cost and construction of a Little Free Library, opens a new window, enabling the branch to create a collection that's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Adult Services Librarian Gem Seddon says this is just another way the branch is removing barriers to access. "You don't need a card; you don't need to bring the books back, and it's available 24-7," she says. "We don't have overdue fees, so we have continued to remove barriers for lending purposes. Having a free library nearby is only going to encourage more people to read."

Gem applied for the grant this past spring, and since receiving the library construction supplies, she's made the entire project an opportunity for community connection. 

Three pre-K classes from the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe's Early Learning Center took on the challenge of painting the tiny library. The branch supplied the paint and brushes and let the children express themselves as they saw fit. Charlie MacLagan, a painter married to the Little Boston Youth Services Librarian, primed the library materials, then professionally sealed and waterproofed the shelves after the children finished painting. Brooke Wellman, The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe's Language Program Coordinator, provided the Klallam translation for the Little Free Library's motto, "Take a book, share a book," which will be featured on a plaque on the little library. 

Gem says she hopes that this painting experience will provide more than just nice memories for the children involved, saying, "It felt really important for the community to feel a sense of pride and ownership over this library."

Once finished, the new Little Free Library will be placed on the main street in front of the library, right beside the Kitsap Regional Library sign. As an Indigenous Library Program Grantee, the Little Boston branch will receive regular shipments of new, award-winning books from both the Little Free Library organization, as well as its publishing partners—ensuring that there's always something available for everyone. 

The entire project ties nicely into both the revised focus of Summer Learning, opens a new window, as well as the mission of Kitsap Regional Library and its Foundation, opens a new window, says Gem: "We just want to get more books into people's hands." 

Little Boston's Little Free Library will be unveiled later this fall, when it will also be added to the organization's world map, opens a new window, increasing visibility and access for all.