MECHANIC FALLS, Maine — Tiana Morgan is one of the many young adults in Maine getting back into reading, but she didn't want to spend a lot of money buying new books.
So, she enjoyed traveling across Maine to check out Little Free Libraries in various towns and realized it would be great if her family had one for the Mechanic Falls community to enjoy.
Tiana enlisted her parents, Karey and Stan, to help bring her idea to life.
Stan, the self-admitted handyman of the project, used old pallets and repurposed other materials to build the six-foot by six-foot library. There is a seat inside, one on a miniature porch, and Stan put three chairs outside if people want to dive right into their new books.
“It’s pretty cool, I’ve been amazed, I didn’t think it would be that popular," he added. "[It] just needs to be bigger next time".
The Morgans also pointed out that the word "library" is spelled incorrectly on the sign on purpose, as if a kid designed it. The whole point, after all, is to encourage more kids to read.
Since word got out, the library has been busy with local children picking out some books and with people from across the area donating old books. There's also a "welcome book" where people can leave notes and share where they came from.
“That’s like my favorite part, seeing where everyone is coming from," Tiana said. “I’ll watch from the window and kids are jumping for joy, it is the coolest thing to see.”
Tiana said she has a passion for recycling, especially when it comes to books, and this library allows for people to donate some old reads so they don't have to throw them away.
The library has enough shelf space for every genre, though the Morgans hinted at a possible expansion to make more room for all the donations. The family goes through every book that's donated, organizes them, makes sure they're appropriate for all ages, and displays them inside.
Families can take non-fiction books, comic books, and there's an entire section dedicated to kids' books and educational materials.
Karey said it's been great to see her daughter, Tiana, renew her passion for reading, and when they get donations of children's books, the two can reflect on their memories reading them when Tiana was younger.
“I think that’s a big thing for a lot of people, knowing that their books are being enjoyed by others as well," Karey said. “It really brings a smile to my face, it’s just so enlightening to see how everyone is just enjoying it."
The family hopes the library stays busy for years to come and helps encourage younger Mainers to find their own passion for reading.
You can follow this link to find other Little Free Libraries closest to you. According to the organization's website, there are more than 175,000 community libraries registered across 121 counties and 400 million books have been shared.