Take a book, leave a classic
The Little Free Library was set up this week with the support of the Elk Creek community on the outskirts of Kellogg.
Photo courtesy of JESSE ENGEL
KELLOGG — The Elk Creek community has united to build a charming little library with the help of fellow neighbor Jesse Engel.
This is the second Little Free Library located in the Silver Valley, with one recently installed at Lions Park in Osburn.
“There’s a wonderful neighborhood here,” Engel said. “There’s a lot of young kids that attend the different schools in the area. We also have a lot of adults in the area that like to read and some great families.”
The neighborhood and little library are located right behind the NASCO building, slightly hidden behind a collection of lush trees. Because the area is situated in a superfund site, there is no ability to dig. So Engel put a tub at the bottom, filled it with concrete to keep it secure, and used a 4-by-4 wooden post donated by another member of the neighborhood, Bob Sevy.
“I wanted to dedicate this to the families of Elk Creek,” Engel said. “There used to be a school here a long time ago and a store, but that’s all history. I thought a little library would perk up the neighborhood. Everyone is pretty excited.”
Engel finished putting up the little library on Wednesday, and it will be listed on the Little Free Library website and app soon.
The library is already chockfull of books for anyone to peruse, but Engel is specifically looking for the classics for younger children to get their imagination started with.
“We have a full variety of kids here. And what I’m looking for is the classics. Books from H.G. Wells, Mark Twain,” Engel said. “I put 'Gulliver’s Travels' in there today, and some works of Shakespeare, as well as some storybooks for kids.”
Engel continued that he has received comments from kids in the neighborhood who are interested in reading instead of being on technological devices all day.
“One kid in the neighborhood said that he would rather have a book than look at his iPad, because the light’s so bad for his eyes. He said he would rather read a book that you can physically hold and put a bookmark in.”
The nonprofit organization known as Free Little Library is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., to foster community building, encouraging reading and providing access to books for everyone through its extensive network of Little Free Library book-sharing kiosks, which are run by volunteers, like Engel, worldwide.
The newest Free Little Library is located at 125 Elk Creek Road, Kellogg, for anyone who wants to peruse the texts or donate books.
“I dedicated this library to the neighborhood. The kids here are really nice,” Engel said. “They all say hi, so we will call this Jesse’s little library. All the children are really happy and supportive of it. They have good parents who are raising good kids.”
For more information on Free Little Libraries, please visit littlefreelibrary.org.