Little Free Libraries Are Magically Popping Up in New Hampshire

There goes another one!  In Dover, New Hampshire, a little red freestanding box sits on the corner of Middle Road and Back Road in the most curious spot.

The roads get plenty of traffic as a shortcut to downtown Dover, so it's a perfect spot for the newest Little Free Library, which supports local reading habits.

The little library offers all types of books for the most inquisitive readers, but the best part is that it's an honor system.  If you want to try one or two of the books, then it's nice for you to drop off a reciprocal book folks might be interested in.  The idea is to keep the little library box full, but if you don't return or recycle a book, it's ok too.

The general philosophy is "take a book, leave a book". The idea has been around a long time, but was not official until 2013.

The non-profit was granted a patent and trademarked in 2013, and it's taken a few years to catch on, but the pandemic saw a rise in the numbers. Many communities used the little free libraries to leave canned goods and other non-perishable items for those in need, in addition to books.

In New Hampshire, the numbers keep rising, with 18 little free libraries in Dover communities, 20 in Concord,  20 in Nashua, 25 in Manchester, and 10 in Portsmouth.  There are many more across the state, but they're sporadic, with many smaller towns have a more proportionate number.

Those numbers can be higher, because some people have homemade little libraries on their property without being a registered LFL.  You can find children's books, adult reader books, thrillers, love stories, and other interesting reads.

You can become a Little Free Library steward and take care of a LFL in your community, or see where they are located by going to littlefreelibrary.org.  There's an interactive map to find locations all over the world, or you can download the app.

Thanks to @gofetchabook on Instagram for supporting books to the Dover community.