Little Free Library on Clark Kerr Campus

Little Free Library on Clark Kerr Campus

Project Leads: Benjamin Weinberger, Daniel Najera, Ellinor Arzbaecher, Jessica Vo, Juana Cruz, Xuelan Lin

Sponsor:

Project Theme: Education and Outreach

2020 Application Submission

Project Description:

As a result of the pandemic, public libraries are either closed or have various restrictions that decrease their attendance. However, it is important for everyone, regardless of age or socioeconomic status, to have access to books. The Free Little Library which will be installed at Clark Kerr Campus where adults and children alike come to walk their dogs or sit and enjoy the sun, hopes to bridge the gap left behind by the closing of public libraries. Inside the Free Little Library will be a multitude of books on environmental and social issues for children, teens, and adults.

The Free Little Library will reside in the Clark Kerr Vegetable Garden. Books will be purchased from activists, local or secondhand book stores using TGIF funds. The grant will also pay for a piece of used furniture that will be recycled to become the library. On top of the library, there will be a seed library where the campus can offer their seed surplus to the public. This will encourage citizen gardening, and allow vegetable and native plants to flourish in the public’s backyard. Around the Free Little Library will be a plethora of native plants such as coyote brush, a species beneficial for monarch butterflies. These native plants will also be bought using TGIF funds.

Goals of Project:

  1. Educate the general public about environmental and social issues while amplifying the voices of authors and activists who are black, indigenous, and people of color

    1. Providing free resources on these topics in the library

    2. Encouraging conversation in the community regarding environmentalism

  2. Engage the public in practices that are both environmentally and socially conscious

    1. A surplus of seeds belong to the University will also be offered to users of the library, allowing them to plant native species on their own

    2. Providing a space for local community to post information regarding environmental and social issues

  3. Beautification of the local community

    1. The library itself should serve to accentuate the aesthetics of the surrounding Clark Kerr Campus area

    2. The project will also include a small garden of native species specifically designed to attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees