The Little Free Libraries of Rochester, NY

This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published August 14, 2013 and can be found here.

     The following is a guest post submitted by       Chris Clemens      .
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In an effort to promote literacy and the love of reading, two businessmen out of the Mid-West have been operating a grassroots, ground up neighborhood rallying effort to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to read. Since 2009 the group has been making available little wooden stands that at first glance look like large birdhouses, but are actually little, free libraries...

      358 Hartsville Lane

Anyone who wants to can     apply

to the group to receive a library to place in their yard, and in doing so provides neighbors and passersby the opportunity to borrow a book, or leave one for others to borrow. In what started as a way to give back to the community, and to honor their librarian mothers, Todd Bol and Rich Brooks have made available thousands of these little libraries available across the globe.

      154 Chestnut Hill Road

On the     Little Free Library website

there is an interactive map identifying the location of all the existing libraries, and while looking to see if there were locations near me, I was surprised to find that there are several in Western NY and a good handful of them are within a 15 minute drive of one another right in Rochester, NY!

      990 Whitlock Road

The free little library shown above was built by Creative Casey who wrote     a blog post about it here

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      Arbor Drive (Between Azalea and Laney)

So, of course, I went to visit each one. If you'd like to to do the same, and maybe donate some old books, or even borrow a new one to read, use the interactive map below to find Rochester's Little Free Libraries - you might be surprised how close one is to you!

      30 Newcrest Drive

Oh, and while visiting, please be mindful that these libraries are on private property, and are the homeowner's way of giving back to their community and neighborhood, and that their efforts are noble. Be respectful and thoughtful while getting your book!

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Interactive Map

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Related Links:

5 Very Cool Little Free Libraries Elsewhere in the World

Flickr Stream of Some Other Little Free Libraries

Little Free Libraries on Pinterest

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About Chris Clemens:

Chris Clemens is a Rochester native with a degree from SUNY Brockport in Health Science. While spending nearly all his free time in research and exploration of curious landmarks, he is half of the blogging duo responsible for the     Exploring The Burned Over District

blog. Checkout the blog on     Facebook

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