Folger Girl Scouts Donate Little Free Library To Annapolis School

This spring, the second-grade students of Folger McKinsey Elementary School Girl Scouts Brownie Troop 723 are looking forward to installing the Little Free Library they built and decorated. The girls will place the tiny wooden library, constructed from a kit that they bought on Amazon, at Tyler Heights Elementary School in Annapolis.

“The kit was pretty self-explanatory,” said troop leader Nancy Kules. “We painted it, and a week later, when it was dry, we got together to assemble it.

“One of our troop moms does some work with the public schools,” Kules continued. “She contacted the principal [at Tyler Heights]. They thought it would be great.”

At one of their meetings, the girls read a story about someone who did not have books. A flying bookmobile comes to the rescue, and soon people are reading, learning and feeling transported through stories. The girls discussed the lessons of the story, including the importance of sharing. The flying bookmobile inspired the troop to donate and maintain a Little Free Library for a local community.

“Our troop was inspired to create/install a Little Library as part of our Brownie journey, ‘A World Of Girls,’” Kules explained. In Girl Scouts, a journey is an opportunity to identify a problem, come up with solutions, make a plan and then put the plan into action.

“In this journey, Brownies have fun learning that stories contain clues that can be used to make the world a better place. Upon completion of this project, the troop will earn a journey patch that will complete our ‘World of Girls’ lesson,” Kules continued.

The girls took their mission to heart. “We want to share books with people who might not have books,” said Brownie Liv Kules.

“The Girl Scouts are going to donate books that we’ve already read,” explained troop member Zoe Souder.

Once the library is installed at Tyler Heights, students and parents will be able to access the books in the Little Free Library when they walk or drive by. Patrons are encouraged to take a book, borrow a book and leave books behind if they would like. The Folger Girl Scouts plan to keep track of the library’s contents and will restock it when needed.

First, the troop plans to paint the outside of its wooden structure. Members await news from Tyler Heights on what color it should be based on a school-wide vote. The girls have already painted colorful panels on the inside of the library.

“When people open it, they’ll see a surprise of colors,” noted Brownie Katie Ewing.

“I like how you can take a book and leave a book for other kids,” said Brownie Zoe Port.

Little Free Libraries are a worldwide phenomenon. An official Little Free Library could be as simple as a box filled with books for borrowing or taking. There are hundreds throughout the United States, and the libraries are even found in Europe and Africa. Maryland boasts several, including many in Anne Arundel County. For a map of Little Free Library locations and more information, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.