Annapolis, MD – The Rotary Club of Annapolis recently installed its 25th Little Free Library (LFL) at the Allen Apartments complex just off Forest Drive, with two easily accessible, enclosed library boxes, one for adults and another installed at a lower height for children.
“We are thrilled to be able to serve this specific community and are encouraged by the warm welcome our boxes have received from residents,” said Anne Wolfe, coordinator of the project installation for Rotary. The Allen Apartments are home to many families of Hispanic origin and as such, the volunteer librarians are focused on providing books in both English and Spanish for the residents.”
Little Free Library is an international nonprofit whose mission is to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led book exchange boxes. Rotary Club of Annapolis LFL Committee Chair Lorie Stout said that the mission was a great fit for the local club. “With Rotary’s focus on service to the community and building goodwill, this was a perfect project for our club to take on.”
Since 2020, the Rotary Club of Annapolis has been placing their 24/7 access boxes in high-need areas such as outside schools and near public housing. The goal is to have a book for every reader. All people are empowered when the opportunity to discover a personally relevant book to read is not limited by time, space, or privilege. Little Free Library’s theme Take a book. Keep a book. Share a book. Drives the committee’s efforts and advertising.
The project’s sustainability is driven by 10 committee members and 16 librarians, who construct, maintain, and install boxes and work to establish positive relations with library users. Library boxes and the books they hold are funded by donations and Rotary concession stand sales at Naval Academy football games. Books are generously provided by the Rotary Club of Parole’s Books for International Goodwill (BIG), Anne Arundel County Public Libraries, and an annual children’s book drive.
The project now spans 25 locations, including the majority within the City of Annapolis Parks or housing, a handful of locations on County property, and the rest on private properties. In addition to their efforts to include Spanish language titles in the collections, librarians are working toward acquiring more books representing other diverse voices to promote understanding, empathy, and inclusion. Rotarians are at the heart of the program’s success and sustainability, and the Annapolis club hopes to be a model for other Little Free Library projects around the country.
If you know of a site that should have an LFL, you are invited to contact us. Please reach out to Laura Amin at laura.amin66@gmail.com or 410.610.3772.
The Rotary Club of Annapolis includes 160 individuals working to benefit people locally and around the world. The club has three groups that meet at different times for the convenience of members.
The Lunch Group meets every Thursday at noon at Annapolis Yacht Club. The Breakfast Group meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at Eggcellence at 2625 Housley Road, and the Happy Hour Group meetings on the third Monday of each month at Maggiano’s at the Annapolis Mall. To learn more about Rotary or to attend a meeting, contact EJ Amyot at ejamyot@gmail.com
For more information about the Rotary Club of Annapolis, visit www.annapolisrotary.org
The Rotary Motto is Service Above Self
