It may be small, but the tiny model building sitting just outside the door of the Parish Hall at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway holds a big surprise — free books for the community.
The St. Peter’s Little Free Library began in August 2015 and is part of the larger 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Little Free Library, established in 2012 in Wisconsin. Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, created the Little Free Library concept in 2009 as a tribute to his mother, who was a teacher and loved to read.
“Take a Book, Return a Book” is the motto of the Little Free Library, which is simply a book exchange.
“People donate the books,” said Jerusalem Greer, minister to children, youth and families at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 925 Mitchell St. in Conway.
“You can come by, pick up a book, read it and return it, or you can keep it forever. Since we are located across the street from Conway Junior High School, we have a lot of books for young adults, but we also have books for adults and children. There is something for everyone,” she said.
“We hope the students at the school use it as well as those who live in the neighborhood, but anyone can use the little library. There are even people who travel that seek out a Little Free Library and use it while they are in town,” Greer said. “That’s the neat part about it — it is open to anyone. We plan to keep it indefinitely. We see it as another way to serve our community.
“We are located near the junior high and close to other schools as well, including Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas. We have a lot of educators in our parish, as well as authors and artists. We regard literacy and reading as high values in our community.”
The Little Free Library at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church was designed and built by local architect Steve Hurd, who is a parishioner at the church. The St. Peter’s Little Free Library is a replica of the Parish Hall, which was the original church building. Karen Collins painted the little building. Members of the church youth group maintain the small library and are involved in selecting books for it, as well as rotating the books on a regular basis, ensuring the availability of new titles.
Stephanie Vanderslice serves as the steward of
the project.
“Little Free Libraries are designed to enhance literacy and community interaction,” Vanderslice said.
Greer said long-term plans for the St. Peter’s Little Free Library include landscaping the area around it.
“We would like to plant a little flower garden and maybe place a bench near [the library] so people could sit and read,” Greer said.
“When we chose the site for the little library, we took into consideration the fact that we are directly across the street from the school,” she said. “We wanted to make it available for those kids.
“We also wanted to make it available for the people who use our food pantry. They have to walk right by it to get to the food pantry, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday to any resident of Faulkner County with a proof of residency.”
Greer said St. Peter’s Episcopal Church serves the community in a variety of other ways as well.
“A lot of groups meet here at the church or across the street at the Morgan House, [1926 Prince St.],” she said. “We are also developing a community garden in back of the Morgan House. We want to serve our community.”
The Rev. Teri Daily is the rector at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
For more information on the Little Free Library or other programs at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, call (501) 329-8174 or email Greer at jerusalem.greer@stpetersconway.com.
Greer noted that there is a second Little Free Library in Conway, located at Hendrix College.
For more information on the Little Free Library organization, visit littlefreelibrary.org.