EJ students hope Little Free Library makes big difference with reading
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COCOLAMUS -- For the love of books, East Juniata High School teacher Amanda Lightner and her students started a project in August to make books accessible to the school's students and surrounding community year-round.
In late April, that project came to fruition when a Free Little Library was installed near the front entrance of the school.
"I was encouraged by the initiative of these students; it's wonderful that there are still kids who enjoy reading and recommending books to others," said Lightner, who teaches advanced placement language and composition and American literature to 11th-graders and a writing elective to 10th- through 12th-graders.
"This little library is for everyone - students, faculty, and community members - to utilize and enjoy. You can borrow books and donate books as you'd like," she added.
The idea of Little Free Libraries is that anyone can take a free book and leave a book in exchange. No library card is required and there are no penalties for not returning the book or not leaving a book in exchange.
Little Free Libraries look like small 2-by-2 foot houses with pitched roofs and cabinet-style front doors. They rest on sturdy posts and hold about 40 books.
"I wanted the kids to see that they could make a difference and inspire the love of books by making them accessible to everybody," Lightner said.
"I loved libraries, too, growing up," explained Lightner, who lived in western Perry County during her childhood. "The school library was the only one that was close to me. It wasn't within walking distance, so my parents would have to drive me there."
Lightner said East Juniata students and the surrounding community face the same struggle when it comes to reading. The Juniata County Library is located in Mifflintown - about 12 miles from the high school.
"There is a great library at the other end of the county," Lightner said. "I wanted the kids just to encourage the community to enjoy books and get reading."
At the start of the school year, 11th-grader Jacey Brubaker came to Lightner with the suggestion to build and install a library. The price tag of buying the library was about $300, but Lightner applied for a Banking on Youth program grant around Thanksgiving to cover the cost.
"First of all, I was thrilled that I had a student who cared enough about reading and making books accessible to other students and the community," Lightner said of Brubaker. "She was excited to put her favorite books in the library and to inspire other people to do the same.
"It's really exciting to me to hear students talk about books without groaning and sighing," she added.
Brubaker and senior Devin Graybill built and stained the library over the Christmas break. From mid- to late-March, Lightner's students made book recommendations and wrote book reviews for some of their favorite books. Many of these titles were purchased or donated. The reviews were tucked inside the books that are currently in the library.
"I come from a family of educators and have always been inspired by curiosity and creativity," Lightner said. "I love sharing my excitement for learning - especially reading and writing - with students at EJ. It is a privilege to be a part of student's growth and to learn from them as well."
Each Little Free Library is numbered; the East Juniata library is No. 157955.
Based in St. Paul, Minn., the Little Free Library, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has been promoting neighborhood book exchanges through public bookcases since 2009. More than 150,000 libraries are registered in 115 counties, leading to millions of books being exchanged each year.
For more information, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.