WASCO, Calif. (KERO) — Devin Lowe, a recent Wasco High School grad, is chasing his Eagle Scout honors. As part of the process, he opted to do his service project by constructing a Little Free Library for the public to use.
- 23ABC caught up with Lowe in front of his newly minted Little Free Library and noted he bounced around a few ideas before choosing to construct the library. Lowe said his goal was to provide access to literature in his community, where library hours are limited and other factors could prohibit someone from visiting the library.
- Margret Aldrich, Director of Communications for the LFL Nonprofit, said the bulk of California's nearly 8,000 library boxes can be found in metropolitan settings, and she said the group always finds it exciting to see one pop up in a rural community. According to the Nonprofit's website, prior to Lowe constructing his, there's only one Little Free Library in Wasco.
- Ian Anderson, Executive Director for the Kern Literacy Council applauded the effort by Lowe to increase access to books, saying something like this project reduces the barrier to entry for people all around the area.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The library in the City of Wasco is closed most days, just open Monday and Tuesday according to the Kern County Library's website, but what if you want to grab a book, but not on any of those days? Well, enter this Little Free Library built by a recent Wasco High graduate in an effort to provide his community with the opportunity to give and take through the art of literature.
Devin Lowe started off in the Boy Scouts of America a decade ago, and now he's working toward his Eagle Scout honors, the peak of ranks within BSA.
Part of that is a service project for their community. After batting around some ideas, he settled on a little free library mainly because he wants to help his community by giving them an opportunity to give and take through literature…
"Not everyone can get that far over to the library, say I know some kids whose parents don't have cars, they don't really have bicycles, or a mode of transportation so they can come down to the park which is nearby their house and pick up a book," said Devin Lowe.
The Little Free Library program has been running since 2009 and started with just a single one in Wisconsin, now there are almost 180,000 across 120 countries worldwide, previously there was only one in Wasco. Now with a second one, Margret Aldrich, director of Communications for the non-profit, says it's great to see the programs grow in rural areas.
"We're so excited when we hear about Little Free Libraries being established in rural communities, so, that really expands access to books, where they're needed most," said Aldrich.
While libraries are one of the best ways to access books, like we've found in Wasco, it's not always feasible, for Kern Literacy Council Executive Director Ian Anderson, any access to books for the community is a great addition.
"The library is an amazing resource and tool, but not everybody can get to it and the other part to is, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to access any sort of intervention service, so these free little libraries, very low barrier, very low impact," said Anderson.
If you'd like to check out this new addition to the community, you can find it off of Poplar Avenue in Wasco near the Wasco Recreation and Parks District office and if you dont live in Wasco, but want to find a little free library in your neighborhood, be sure to check out the little free library website.
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