Little Library, Wellesley — Is this abandoned Little Library, in minor disrepair, a candidate for renovation, or is destined to become another Wellesley tear-down?

I came across this Little Library last week standing empty and sad, when at one time it was filled with purpose and books. I won’t tell you its exact location, not because I think Wellesley-ites will throw rotten tomatoes at the house it stands in front of, but because I think Wellesley-ites will rally and in an instant have the neglected former book exchange spot jam-packed with reading material. Since the house somewhat recently changed ownership, it’s possible the new owners just haven’t gotten around to stocking the spot. Then again, maybe they don’t want to tend a circulation desk right in their front yard, and that would be their right. I suppose. I mean, “buyer agrees to tend Little Library in perpetuity” probably isn’t in the deed.

Could be we’ll soon see the first Little Library appear at the RDF Reusables Area and why not? Everything else eventually ends up there.

There are about a half-dozen or so Little Libraries around Wellesley from one end of town to the next. Some are stately-looking and “official” meaning they have an affiliation with LittleFreeLibrary.org, a non-profit on a mission to provide literacy programs throughout the country. Others are more rag-tag Do-It-Yourself projects, labors of love by someone who just wants to encourage a neighborhood give-and-take ethos centered around books.

Here’s where you can find a few of Wellesley’s Little Libraries:

On Brook St., in front of the house with the cow garage door
At the corner of Southgate Rd. and Wellesley Ave. That home is on the market, so I wonder what will become of that Little Library, which is always decorated for the holidays.

In front of Hardy School
In Linden Square. The Girl Scouts of Troop 73505 spearheaded that project.
In the Hunnewell School area, in front of the big stucco house, in the middle of a beautiful flower garden.