Windsong Court residents share materials through new ‘little free library’

Residents of Windsong Court brought a nationwide trend to the Salina Presbyterian Manor campus.

Earlier this year, neighbors installed a library box on their cul-de-sac. All are welcome to use the box to donate or borrow books and other materials.

Mark Crow first brought up the idea at an ice cream social hosted by Dean and Betty Groves.

“He was the only who talked it up and convinced everyone to buy into it,” said Diane O’Conner, a Windsong Court resident.

“I’ve seen these all over now, they’re becoming pretty popular,” Mark said.

The Windsong Court library box is one of more than 150,000 Little Free Libraries located in over 100 countries all over the world. You can find libraries near you on the website littlefreelibrary.org.

Folks were interested in the idea, and an anonymous donor volunteered to cover half the cost of the new structure.

“It’s pretty free to put anything we’d like to share in there,” Mark said. In addition to books, residents have filled the box with magazines, DVDs and puzzles.

“I think everybody has put something in there, although I’m not sure everyone has taken something out,” Mark said. “The box is getting pretty full.”

Diane hopes the library box will provide new opportunities for neighbors to catch up with each other and learn what’s new in the community.

“It’s been really very interesting,” she said. “I like to look out my front window and see people gathering at the box.”

The library box serves a practical purpose, too: On cold or rainy days, residents only have to walk a few steps to pick up new reading material.

“We just thought it would be something nice for the community,” Mark said. “I just hope that we use it and find it helpful.”

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