It’s hard to miss the Little Free Libraries that have popped up around communities since 2009.  A painted wood box with a shelf or two behind a windowed front door, these little dwellings allow you to take or leave a book without going out of your way or worrying about returning.  They’re often found near neighborhood parks and in residential neighborhoods.

Although anyone can start a Little Free Library, and most are maintained by individuals, the City of Kalona owns four such units.  This winter, they received Kalona-style makeovers, complete with little barn quilts painted on the sides.

“The City came to us last fall and said, ‘Hey, some of our Little Free Libraries are pretty weathered.  They’re getting really beaten up.  If we just do one at a time, like a round-robin around town, do you think we could get them done this winter?’  And we did,” says Olivia Kahler, Youth Director at the Kalona Public Library.

The library recruited a few volunteers from Highland and Mid-Prairie high schools to help with the renovations. They sanded, primed, and painted the little structures, and the City took care of re-roofing, fixing hinges, and replacing plexiglass.  

“We just set up a table and a tarp in the program room, and we’d swap them out.  Every time one was done, they’d bring me a new one and we’d start again,” Kahler says.  “It was a team effort.”

The library used a Cricut printer to print quilt block stencils, which were then painted over to create the quilt block designs on the sides of the Little Free Libraries.  

“That was a fun idea, because there are other quilts in town, so why not continue the theme?” Kahler says.  “All of our supplies came from Yotty’s [Hardware], so we shopped local.”

The four Little Free Libraries in Kalona are located near Kalona Mennonite Church on 6th Street; on H Avenue behind Mid-Prairie Middle School; at Kalona City Campground; and in the housing development behind Dollar General.

An interactive map on the Kalona Public Library’s website shows their locations, and even maps a route so that you can bike a loop that includes all four, plus two additional Little Free Libraries maintained by individuals in the area.

With a little luck, the Little Free Libraries stock themselves; anyone can take or add a book at any time.  The Kalona Public Library keeps an eye on the city-owned boxes and adds books left over from library book sales when stock gets low. 

Some locations might see children’s books most desired; Kahler notices adult fiction best-sellers tend to be most in demand.  “Beach reads,” as Kahler says.

For those who would like to contribute, kids’ chapter books and “anything you picked up at the airport” tend to fit nicely into the boxes.

For those who would like to start their own Little Free Library, littlefreelibrary.org is the first stop.  Kits are offered starting at $180 so that you can build your own.  

Interestingly, the Little Free Library website says that “Many little free libraries are crafted by Amish carpenters.  When you purchase a Little Free Library from the LFL nonprofit organization’s online store, chances are it was created by an Amish craftsperson in the Upper Midwest.  One of the most prolific Little Free Library builders is an Amish man named Henry Miller.”

There are many Little Free Libraries located outside of Kalona, as residents may know.  You’ll find others at Wellman’s North Park, on S. Washington Street in Riverside, and on S. Devoe Street in Lone Tree, for example.  Each one is painted in a unique way by its founder; some are dedicated to the memories of those they love.