By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Kaylee Finch is sharing her love of reading with the town of North Attleborough.
Finch, a student at Bristol County Agricultural High School, set up a Little Free Library at the WWI Park and Zoo for her National Honor Society project.
Little Free Library is a nationwide nonprofit that installs small boxes of various designs that house books. People can borrow any book they want, and are encouraged to add their own titles to the selection. The organization was founded to battle the growing literacy crisis in the United States. According to the web site, it’s estimated that more than 30 million adults cannot read or write above a third-grade level.
Finch said she’s been an avid reader since she was very young, counting the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling among her favorites. She has seen the small libraries around, but couldn’t find too many in town. She worked with her father to design and build the box. It features the town’s colors and a window in front so the titles inside can be easily seen. It’s set low to the ground so children can access it.
The library was stocked with books, some donated and some of Finch’s that she thought people would like. The day after she installed it at the park—where she used to volunteer and now works—it came as a surprise to find most of the books had been borrowed.
“I was in awe, and I was really excited,” said Finch, the vice president of the school’s NHS. “I wasn’t sure what people would think of it. I was really happy.”
Finch said the Little Free Library program brings about a sense of community—not just for those that build them, but those that read the books. Many people helped her, either by donating supplies, or with construction and installation. She hopes it remains there and gets books to fellow readers.
“My whole goal was to inspire reading in little kids,” she said. “To encourage kids to read.”
