DUMMERSTON — Dummerston recently got itself two new libraries.
One Little Free Library was installed on the front porch of the Town Offices in Dummerston Center and one in the lobby of Dummerston School.
Both Little Free Libraries are stewarded by the Lydia Pratt Taft Library, Dummerston's municipal library, located in the Dummerston Community Center in West Dummerston.
“Our goal is to broaden our library's community outreach by making books more widely available while strengthening our bonds within the community,” Library Board Chair Susan Kern said in a news release.
According to Margret Aldrich, Little Free Library spokeswoman, they are “a box full of books that, when you find one, you can take a book home with you. Or if you have a book to share, you can leave it for someone else to read.”
This is the 10th anniversary of the first Little Free Library book exchange. Today, there are more than 80,000 Little Free Libraries in all 50 states and more than 90 countries from Argentina to Zambia.
Inspired to build a Little Free Library in Dummerston, Library Board Chairman Emeritus David Patriquin brought his idea to the Library Board, where it was unanimously adopted.
“We were delighted to accept David's offer to build these structures,” Kern said.
Outgoing Dummerston School Principal Jo Carol Ratti said that “our sharing library, which was built and installed thanks to the Lydia Taft Pratt Library, was an instant hit for Dummerston students.”
Ratti added that, within a week, “it doubled its size in lending books and now students have a hard time turning the corner without stopping to check out the newest sharing option.”
As stewards, the library supplies books, provided by donations, to both locations on a regular basis.