Local couple joins the little free library movement
By Lauren Nadolski
Correspondent
Between 1895 and 1914, a woman named Lutie Sterns took it upon herself to promote literacy and bring the joy of reading to small towns in Wisconsin.
Armed with a horse-drawn carriage and countless boxes of books, she delivered nearly 1,400 of her “traveling little libraries” to gathering places in towns across the state.
According to records at the Burlington Public Library, she even stopped here in Burlington, supplying free books to what was only a subscription library at the time.
It’s no accident, then, that Carole Rybarczyk, a library employee herself, should take to the same cause, and open her own Little Free Library at her home at N6026 Lyons Road in the Town of Spring Prairie.
Little Free Library is a program started in 2009 by the non-profit organization Wisconsin Partners for SustainAbility, and has grown to over 6,000 libraries across the world, according to littlefreelibrary.org.
The concept is simple – take a book, leave a book. No fines, no due dates, just pure, unadulterated sharing.
“Some people leave more books than they take, or take more books than they leave. It’s not a rigid system,” Rybarczyk said.
The Rybarczyk’s free library began as a Mother’s Day gift for Carole, constructed by her husband Matt.
When it comes to the design and construction of the library, Matt said, keeping the books dry is most important.
“Use the best materials you can find, and it will last forever,” he added. “People also get very creative, but we just left the plain cedar.”
The littlefreelibrary.org website offers kits and ready-made libraries, for those who don’t feel up to making it themselves.
The Little Free Library on Lyons Road has no problem bringing in patrons.
“It’s a very popular walking subdivision,” said Carole, “and we put fliers on mailboxes to promote it.”
The location is also registered on the Little Free Library website, which includes a detailed map of where they can be found around the world.
The Rybarczyk’s library is one of relatively few in this area of the state. According to the website, there are only two others in the immediate area: In Lake Geneva at 406 Spring Street; and in Big Bend at S890W22650 Milwaukee Avenue.
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