There are more than 100,000 registered Little Free Library book-sharing boxes in 108 countries worldwide. The idea of sharing books streetside—take one or more, leave one or none—originated in Wisconsin in 2009 and rapidly gained popularity. Since 2016, another movement modeled after Little Free Libraries has resulted in nearly 1,000 new boxes in yards across the United States, and this time the free items are edible! These Little Free Pantries are especially timely due to our Coronavirus economy woes. One of them is just steps from the Longmont Library at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 803 Third Street.
Our wondrous public library offers lots of no-charge entertainment, which can help you and your family through the boredom of Covid19 requirements. The library’s web site is where you can find links to virtual field trips, virtual storytimes, videos of library programs and events you may have missed, a Longmont podcast called Side Dish, and even some coloring pages you can print out. You can also take online classes; for example, Pronunciator teaches foreign languages. And if you need any more distraction from the troubles of the world, the library has, last time I checked, 21,982 movies to choose from, including some 2020 releases!
Here’s another freebie—good advice from a successful man. “I spent three days a week for ten years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college. People should educate themselves—you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of ten years, I had read every book in the library, and I’d written a thousand stories.” So says Ray Bradbury.
Lastly, there are free smiles to be found on-line if you Google “library humor.” For instance:
- It’s not hoarding if it’s books.
- I’d like to give a shout-out to all librarians—oh, I’m sorry.
- Little known fact: For every weird librarian, there are at least five “unconventional” patrons.
- Question: Should you read in the morning, the afternoon, or the middle of the night? Answer: yes.
