I’d like to write a bit about the Little Free Library movement and consider the possibility of helping it take root here in Kumamoto. I became interested in the topic after listening to an NPR (U.S. public radio) segment about the death of Todd Bol, who began the movement by simply building the little outdoor bookshelf you see in the photo, filling it with books, and putting it outside his home for the use of anyone who might stop to look at it.
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/19/658962057/little-free-library-creator-todd-bol-dies
It was interesting to me that he didn’t get much of a response at first but that the idea eventually took root and has spread all over the world:
https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourhistory/
The official account of the Little Free Library movement’s history says that it has spread to 85 countries worldwide. Reading that made me wonder if it had spread to Japan (and, of course, most importantly, our own Kumamoto). Well, I haven’t been able to verify the project’s spread to our neck of the woods, but it has definitely come to Japan.
Here’s an article in Japanese about a man in Nagasaki who is working to build Little Free Libraries (「小さな図書館」 or 「マイクロライブラリー」 in Japanese):
https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/nagasaki/article/398425/
Here’s another Japanese article about Todd Bol’s visit to Japan to talk about the idea:
http://current.ndl.go.jp/e1603
As I wrote above, I haven’t been able to confirm the idea’s spread to Kumamoto but I have a few people in mind to whom I’d like to propose the project. I would be very happy if readers of this post who like the idea would tell a friend about it – particularly if that friend is in a position to actually push for implementation. :)
– Kirk