On October 1, 2023, nonprofit organization Little Free Library (LFL) kicked off Banned Book Week by giving out free books to people across the South.

LFL partnered with the Freedom to Read Foundation and Pen America “to hand out copies of banned books in some of the most affected communities,” according to their website. They stopped at bookstores in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas on their Banned Wagon Tour two weeks ago. Donated books include The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  

LFL also encourages people to fight against book bans regularly and links its website’s visitors to an action toolkit created by the American Library Association that citizens can use to fight censorship in their communities. Options include calling your local representative and volunteering at your local library. 

The Indigenous Library Program is an LFL initiative that started as the Native Library Program in 2018 to increase the availability of books on Native American land with limited resources. This initiative aims to increase literacy in Native-majority spaces and provide diverse books to all people but especially Native children, who are frequently unable to see themselves represented in children’s literature. 

Little Free Library Steward and Program Grantee Vicki Kurtz, who works in Willow Creek, California, had this to say to LFL: “Many of our community members are in the throes of the poverty cycle: apathy, alcoholism, and drug abuse; however, many people are thriving and challenging our youth to become educated so they can walk in balance with both worlds that surround them … I want every home to have books. I want every child to have books to read at home. I want parents to read to their children. I want to increase literacy in general for all our community members.” 

On Oct. 5, Little Free Library reported they provided 43 Indigenous Library Packages to various communities and organizations between June and September 2023. Recipient Robb S., who works for the Native American Advancement Foundation (NAAF), told LFL, “The young learners from NAAF’s pre-school program had a great time putting the finishing touches on the library’s assembly and installation by adding their own artistic flare and a liberal amount of paint.” 

LFL runs another initiative called the Impact Library Program that aims to increase literacy in all urban and rural neighborhoods “experiencing disadvantages to accessing books.” LFL awards grants every month to provide book-sharing boxes at no cost. The owner simply has to supply books, hold at least one community event in the first year, and provide photos and written communication to LFL. 

To find a Little Free Library in your area, use LFL’s World Map Tool found on their website. If you have one in your neighborhood and have some extra books on hand, donate a few the next time you go for a walk or drive. You have the power to make reading accessible to your community. 

If you are looking for a book you do not currently own and are a current WCSU student, check out the circulating collections at the Ruth A. Haas (Midtown campus), Robert S. Young (Westside campus), and other CSCU libraries, or borrow a book from outside WCSU’s system with an interlibrary loan (ILL).