WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE ON THIS PROJECT? A couple of years ago, my family was on vacation in Washington D.C., and we visited a neighborhood on Capitol Hill where my parents used to live. There was a Little Free Library there, and I thought it was really cool.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THIS AS YOUR EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT? It is something that I had not seen in Southlake and something that I could do in my community that would be permanent.
HOW DOES THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY WORK? You can take a book or two if you see something interesting, and you are also encouraged to leave a book. Basically, it facilitates people sharing books on an honor system.
HOW DID YOU WORK WITH THE CITY TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN? I emailed the Parks and Recreation Department about my idea. They spoke with Councilman John Huffman who liked the project. They asked me to submit a design. I did some research and emailed the Parks and Recreation Department pictures of some of my favorite little free libraries that I found online. Once they chose a style, I drew a diagram with dimensions and a list of materials, which they approved.
HOW DID YOU COLLECT THESE BOOKS? I created a flyer for my scout troop (402). We collected donated books from a couple of neighborhoods here in Southlake.
HOW WAS THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY BUILT? My dad and I took my materials list to Lowe’s, and because this was for an Eagle Scout project, they discounted the cost of the materials. The metal base was fabricated and donated by Ratliff Iron Works, which was a huge help. Once we had the base ready and the main body of the library built, we coordinated with the Parks and Recreation Department. They dug the hole at Bicentennial. We cemented in the metal base. And then the next day, we attached the main body of the library and added the initial batch of books.
WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY? The city of Southlake is interested in putting up more of these around town. We spent a lot of time building mine because it was going in such a prominent location and was the first one for the city. It was fun building something creative, but I think that people could also design and build something simple if they just want to get started.
WHERE IS IT LOCATED? It is located at the entrance to the playground in Bicentennial Park.