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The Bay Minette Public Library has added two Free Little Libraries to downtown area thanks to a generous grant from the North Baldwin Community Foundation, an affiliate of The Community Foundation of South Alabama. The new little library at 14 S. Hand Avenue is designed to replicate the red phone booths often associated with London. A Tardis-inspired little library has been installed at 301 D’Olive Street, situated between Bay Minette City Hall and the new Justice Center. Both are now fully stocked with books, free for the sharing.

“I want to thank the North Baldwin Community Foundation members for funding this wonderful endeavor. Our Little Free Libraries give people the opportunity to share in the love of reading and help to continue our outreach in the community,” said Joanna Bailey, BMPL Director.

Supported by the Bay Minette Public Library, the Free Little Library program was introduced locally in 2015 in an effort to share the love of literature with patrons of all ages in the North Baldwin area. The concept is simple: take what you want and leave behind what you can. Patrons frequenting the Free Little Libraries can choose from assorted books left by other local patrons or stocked by the library staff, utilizing donated or duplicated titles or those culled from circulation through the weeding process.

Each mini library is registered with the Little Free Library organization and entered into the national database on their world map. Since the books are not part of the library system, they do not have to be checked out and no library card is required. The expansion of the program to more locations helps provide convenient access to residents who may not always have the time or transportation to visit the main library campus, Bailey shared.

Since its inception in North Baldwin, the reach of the project has grown to include more than a dozen locations in and outside the city’s limits. The mini libraries can be found at Kids Park on McMillan Avenue; Pine Grove Elementary; Douglasville School of Arts and Recreation; 40880 County Road 39 in White House Fork; Lottie Volunteer Fire Department; Dollar General Store in Stockton; Delta Elementary in White House Fork; Vaughn SAIL Center; Dollar General in Perdido; Sye Davis Park on Nesbitt Street, Rabun Volunteer Fire Department, Bay Minette City Hall and 14 S. Hand Avenue.

To learn more about this or other programs offered by the Bay Minette Public Library, followed the library on Facebook or visit bayminettepubliclibrary.org.