Five Stories Behind Milwaukee’s Little Free Libraries

Originally published on Milwaukee Magazine 6/7/23

Did you know that Little Free Libraries started right here in Wisconsin? In 2009, Todd Bol built a small model of a one-room schoolhouse and filled it with books to put in the front yard of his home in Hudson, WI. His community loved the idea, and asked him to build more. Soon after, Rick Brooks, co-founder of Little Free Library, teamed up with Bol to expand the social enterprise. In 2022 the company surpassed 150,000 registered libraries in more than 115 countries worldwide.

The concept, which has grown into a world-wide phenomenon, is simple-- put a miniature box in front of your home and fill it with books for your neighbors to take and return as they please. However, each of these libraries has a “librarian” behind the scenes with their own hopes and goals for the space. Here, five Milwaukeeans share their thoughts on why they believe Little Free Libraries are so vital to our neighborhoods.

Center Street BID #39

Jennifer Potts realized there was an opportunity to provide reading materials for her community when she noticed children sitting by the door of her business at night, just so they were able to use the public wifi. As she walked around her neighborhood, she noticed children were staying close to other businesses as well with their tablets, phones or computers. She thought they should be in their beds, not outside looking for internet access.

“Reading is fundamental for kids,” says Potts. “Not everyone has a computer or wifi, so I came up with this idea.”

Potts is a business owner, PhD and has been a part of BID #39 for years. She realized there was an opportunity to provide reading materials for children and adults in the community and thought the Little Free Libraries would be a great way to do so.

“At first, we only wanted to have a couple of them,” says Potts. “But community members came out and wanted to help. Other businesses wanted to get the libraries too. It became a bigger thing.”

After Potts purchased the libraries, word was spreading like wildfire. Libraries were popping up in front of St. Catherines and UpTown Beauty and Barbers. “Pocket parks,” a small-scale park created in empty spaces like a defunct parking lot, became home to several libraries as well. Soon, teachers and retired educators started filling the libraries with books and other reading materials. Neighborhood carpenters would build or repair the structures. Students from Milwaukee College Prep painted and decorated them. Eventually, The Greater Milwaukee Foundation gave a $3,500 grant for more libraries in Sherman Park. 

People from nearby churches and businesses keep the libraries full. Some have even bought stamps, or write encouraging notes, to personalize the experience. Some fill the libraries with money, pencils, or small toys. You never know what you’re going to find. 

“I really think that in this society, you are always going to have a need for a book,” says Potts “So much is online, but sometimes we don’t have access to the internet. You take it for granted.”

In addition to managing the several Little Free Libraries, Potts shared that BID #39 is in the middle of a gigantic initiative for their neighborhood. Community Within The Corridor (2758 N. 33rd St.) is a housing complex in the former Briggs & Stratton, the community  consists of 197 apartments, ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units, and more than 60,000 square feet of commercial and community space. According to the website, the property “will transform two city blocks of long-vacant historic industrial buildings into a vibrant community of apartments and businesses.” The complex also offers a courtyard and gym space, a daycare, a laundromat, youth and adult development programs, and more.

This massive undertaking will provide new, comfortable and affordable housing for close to 200 area families, created from nearly 70 million dollars of public and private funding. While some families have already moved in, the official opening is in February of 2023. 

“We have lots of children and families here and a strong network of neighborhood groups,” says Potts. “We want to help provide a high quality of life for our neighbors.”

Happy Everything Book House

Sarah Dosmann’s Happy Everything Book House was a Christmas gift from her father, a handy guy who was a Milwaukee Public Schools principal. Sarah was a kindergarten teacher for many years, and now works with enrollment and parent engagement in a school.  Six years ago, Sarah and her sister, who is also a teacher, had been discussing investing in Little Free Libraries. They were looking into purchasing the kits. A basic library costs $329 and accessories, things like add-on planter boxes, a visitor counter, an adjoining bench, range in cost from $40 - over $200. Their father lives in the neighborhood and thought the gift would be a perfect choice for their education-focused family. 

Both Sarah and her sister were given fully constructed, unpainted libraries. Together with their children, they each painted their Little Free Library to match their homes. For Sarah, that means light yellow siding, a shingled roof and dark door. When she painted her house, she’d also paint the library to match.

The Happy Everything Book House was installed low to the ground, inviting young visitors. Sarah tries to feature a lot of children’s books. The neighborhood keeps it stocked with a rotating selection of excellent books. Recently Sarah added flower boxes to match her front garden. 

“I love to witness what this Little Free Library is becoming,” says Sarah. “Visitors drop off cans of food, homemade bookmarks and poems, dog treats.”

As a kindergarten teacher, Sarah loved reading aloud to her kids. Despite teaching four and five year olds, Sarah always chose to read from young adult novels. She would read a chapter a day-- and use different voices for the characters. 

“Whatever sets a good foundation and appreciation for reading is creating the building blocks to explore,” says Sarah. “Reading and comprehension opens the door to every other interest.”

Little Free Diverse Library In Story Hill

In summer of 2020, when the world was being ravished by COVID-19 and millions of Americans took to the streets to protest police brutality after the public murder of George Flyod, longtime friends Kristen Tym and Tom Runnells wondered how they could affect change from their small neighborhood of Story Hill. Story Hill is a tiny neighborhood in Milwaukee, an area with fewer than 2,000 residents. Kris and Tom sought a way to spark conversation and growth among their neighbors. 

Tom built the structure of the library, which is in front of Kris’ house, and the two of them collaborate on upkeep and refilling of the library. However, this is no ordinary Little Free Library, the two friends decided to make their library a Little Free Diverse Library, part of a growing pillar of Little Free Libraries. This meant that Kris and Tom would supply reading materials for people of all ages written by or about people of color and queer people. 

According to research, Little Free Libraries tend to be located in mid- to high-income neighborhoods whose residents are well-educated and overwhelmingly white-- a lot like the demographics of Story Hill. 

“It’s important to make a purposeful effort to expand the media we consume,” says Tym. “The Little Free Diverse Library is a way to expose our largely white neighbors to new perspectives and life experiences.” 

The books in the Little Free Diverse Library aren’t solely centered around the author’s experiences as a person of color, a queer or disabled person-- the books cover a variety of topics, industries and genres from biographies of Muhammad Ali to children’s halloween stories to major sellers like Kiley Reid’s “Such a Fun Age.” The point, according to Kris and Tom, was to put these books in front of people who may not normally seek them. 

Kris and Tom both take turns sourcing books for the library, from scoping the shelves at a thrift store, to supporting local bookstores like La Revo Books and Niche, the two friends are constantly on the hunt for new stories to share. They even have a venmo (@ldflmke) where people can donate funds for the next set of books. 

A sign on their library reads, “sharing perspectives on racism and social justice, celebrating BIPOC and LGBTQI + voices and incorporating all identities for all readers.” And in a city as deeply segregated as Milwaukee, it can seem like an uphill battle. 

“Milwaukee can be absolutely heartbreaking,” says Tym. “But it’s worth trying to redeem.”

You can follow the Little Free Diverse Library on instagram at @littlefreediverselibrarymke

Harry Potter & Snoopy’s Tales

Jim Salinksy has had a hand in building several little free libraries across Milwaukee’s east side. He’s worked with his children’s school mates, neighbors, and community at large to dot the neighborhood with creative themed little libraries. 

It started nearly ten years ago when Salinksy was still living on Cramer Street. Each year Jim, who worked at GE, participated in their “service day,” an annual opportunity to give back to the community. He, with help from his neighbors, chose the construction of the Little Free Library as that summer’s contribution. 

Because he lived so close to UW-Milwaukee, the neighborhood’s Little Free Libraries often fell victim to the rowdy and sometimes destructive college kids who lived nearby. Jim re-built his Little Free Library-- but this time with an upgrade. The group decided to create a Harry Potter themed library complete with solar-powered backlit starfield that lights up when the sun goes down. 

Four years ago, Salinksy and his family moved to Shorewood. When he noticed how many dogs lived on the block (about 19) he knew a Snoopy themed library would be an ideal complement to the neighborhood. “Snoopy’s Tales” was created, a two-floor “apartment” featuring a window into the roof of Woodstock's apartment-- complete with furniture and the character himself. The “bottom unit” is for children’s books while the “upper” holds novels for young adult and adult readers. 

As a part of his children’s school projects, Salinksy built several enclosures for other families at Milwaukee Jewish Day School to create their own Little Free Library. “One did an incredible Noah’s Ark replica,” explains Salinsky, “another family themed the library as a connection to Israel, complete with a plane crossing the Atlantic.” 

Over the many years and several little free libraries Salinsky has contributed to the community, he’s still amazed at how interested and involved his neighbors continue to be. 

“The amazing thing about these is they organically work,” says Salinksy. “It seems like there’s one every block. Even after all these years, when my wife and I go on a walk, she’ll check each one of them looking for new and interesting books.

Heck on Weil 

Margot Nielsen, a Riverwest artist, asked her friend Mark Peterson to help bring her Little Free Library, Heck on Weil, to life just over a year ago. Margot and Mark had been collaborating on some cartoons when she learned about Mark’s woodworking talents-- Mark had built his children an elaborate tree fort in their backyard among several other fun and intricate projects. Margot knew he was the man for the job.

Heck on Weil was built to resemble a local house. The first “floor” features a miniature bookcase (complete with mini books) , a roaring fireplace and a black and white portrait of the creator above the mantelpiece.  The upper “floor” is a bright yellow bedroom with a working closet door where Margot can hide treats and surprises for visitors. 

The real surprise comes when you peak into the attic. 

“When I drew up the design for Mark to build the library I knew I wanted to have some sort of attic miniatures display,” says Nielsen. “I had the little glow in the dark aliens on-hand, and bought some build-yourself dollhouse furniture to paint. I turned a baby crib into an igloo cooler, and made sure to put a barry gibb poster on the wall, just like in our attic. The lights are connected to a solar power charger, so at night it lights up and those little guys really party.”

Heck on Weil primarily houses children's books. Margot tries to keep the library stocked with kids books and activities like toys and coloring books as well as dog treats for her four-legged visitors. As the weather cools, Margot enjoys crocheting miniature scarves, which visitors can take and use to keep their stuffed animals warm throughout the winter. 

During this year’s Riverwest 24, Heck on Weil served as a checkpoint-- a place where riders can stop, partake in an activity, and earn points that get them closer to winning the race. Margot collaborated with her friend Malynda from The Bookseller to create a checkpoint that focused around children’s books. 

“For the full two hours we had bikers lined up to pick a kids book, stand on my little porch and read,” says Nielsen. “We originally thought each participant would read one or two pages. But almost every person read an entire book to earn their bonus point. We invited some neighborhood kids to be audience members, but mostly it was adults reading kids books to other adults. People really got into it.”

In addition to maintaining the book flow, Margot runs an instagram page (@heckonweil) for her Little Free Library. 

“I’ve always wanted a little library,” says Nielsen. “I really underestimated how much joy it would bring into my life.”