Wellesley 8th graders Lydia Barker, Sophie Maggioni and Neev Gamble have built a swell Little Free Library on Linden Street as a Girl Scout community service project designed to earn them the Silver Award, the highest honor a middle school scout can get.
“By building these small libraries, different generations can interact with each other and we can build a stronger community,” the girls say. “We got the idea because all three of us share a love of books and literature, so we thought that would be a fun thing to work on for our Silver Award Project.”
The Troop 73505 members built the permanent book-filled box over the past year, enriching Wellesley’s already spectacular collection of formal and informal libraries. They worked in Lydia’s garage, and her dad (John Barker) led the process. The library is made out of wood, with an outer shell of AZEK, to make it weather proof.
The Little Free Library was installed on Oct. 12 and is open for book borrowing and donating. When we swung by this week, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, a Nancy Drew book and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian were among the selections.
The library will have its official unveiling during a 5:30-6:30pm event on Oct. 20 in Linden Square at which the Roche Bros./Linden Square/WHS Evolutions Progam/Natural Resources Commission reusable bag design contest winner will be revealed as well.
This is the first Girl Scout Little Free Library in Wellesley, but the girls say they are hoping it won’t be the last.
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