Oklahoma Magazine January 2019

State

ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA

Take a Book – Leave a Book

Little Free Libraries bring a sense of community and a love for reading to kids and adults throughout Oklahoma.

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RESIDENTS GATHER AROUND A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY IN TULSA.

PHOTO COURTESY TRANSPORTING EDUCATION AND LITERACY INTO OPEN SPACES

heena Ireland has lectured a child in her care about greed … but in a good way. The mother of twins baby-sits three other children after school and is a regular at Tulsa’s Zeigler Park, home to a Little Free Library. “Every time we go to the park, the

kids want to get a book,” says Ireland, adding that one of her charges once “tried to fill up her backpack.” Ireland understands such enthusiasm because “I was very into reading as a child,” she says. Zeigler is one of 15 Tulsa parks targeted for a tiny library by Transporting Education and Literacy into Open Spaces; seven are installed.

Tulsa already had a number of the libraries when the nonprofit began in August 2017; there are scores throughout Oklahoma and more than 75,000 across the world, including one in Siberia that serves reindeer herders. Often handcrafted from recycled materials, Little Free Libraries typically hold 20 to 100 books. They might be stocked initially by sponsors or through used book drives. Once they get going, the “take one, leave one” concept usually keeps the boxes full. Attorney Stephanie Younis, executive director of Transporting Education, says many Tulsa elementary schools do not meet state standards for reading proficiency, so JANUARY 2019 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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