The Little Free Library movement is growing Boston strong! Today, Boston has proliferated its 24/7 access little libraries significantly since 2020.
The movement, pioneered by local libraries, pushes for even more Little Free Libraries in Boston, Greater Boston, and beyond. Massachusetts currently has 1,873 registered little libraries, 17% of those are in Boston. That number is expected to continue to grow.
In 2015 the Little Free Library nonprofit document a total of 25,000 registered libraries worldwide. Nearly a decade later, the total library count gre 640%. There are now 185,000 libraries registered in 2024.
Take a book, leave a book
The concept of the Little Free Library was born in 2015 St. Paul, Minnesota.
Despite the libraries seeming “abandoned” and mysteriously stocked, locals actually oversee, and sometimes build the libraries around the city.
A mother-daughter duo in Everett installed one of the city’s little libraries. Evelyn, the daughter, was just a sixth grader. She built the library with her grandfather and now the family oversees five Everett little libraries.
Residents of Quincy regularly restock the Wollaston Beach library with juicy summertime reads, to match the setting.
Passerbys are encouraged to take a book and leave a book when encountering a little free library. Each book has a story to tell and could come from Greater Boston or hundreds of thousands of miles away.