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Yellowknifers map 'little free libraries' across city

Yellowknife is adding its 10 or so "little-free libraries" to the map of 50,000 such structures in a phenomenon that has been spreading to front lawns around the planet.

"In the summer I'll see kids sitting out on the front lawn with their bikes, just looking at books," said one little free library custodian, Judith Murdock.

"It brings the neighbourhood together," said Judith Murdock, who maintains a library on her front lawn at her home on Matonabee Street.

"I've even had a little fella come to the door saying that he really likes Star Wars and if I come across a Star Wars book could I please make sure it gets into the library?"

Some boxes are simple, while others appear to have jumped out from a Dr. Seuss book. All of them have the same principle — take a book, leave a book.

Third-year nursing students Gerri Hunter and her project partner Jenipher Nakyanzi are promoting and mapping Yellowknife's little free libraries in partnership with the NWT Literacy Council.

"It feels good to donate something rather than just throwing it out. There's a lot of passion in it, and it's like a little movement among the people that have them," said Hunter.

A Dr. Seuss-style little free library on 52nd Street is one of 10 in Yellowknife. photo courtesy of Gerri Hunter

"We've already raised funds to build one at the NWT Literacy Council," said Nakyanzi. "You don't always have to bring a book to take a book but if you have others to leave you can."

There are no bylaws that restrict the installation of little free library structures on front lawns, Hunter said. Hunter and Nakyanzi hope that one day they can open a little free library downtown on Franklin, she said.
The first little free library was built in Old Town, and now there are locations including Con Road, 52 and Matonabee streets, Niven Drive, Morrison Drive, and Borden Drive.

"It brings the neighbourhood together," said Murdock, who maintains the library on Matonabee Street.

She was first inspired to put up a library after coming across a group of six apparent strangers reading on the rocks around a library on a Vancouver Island beach.

"It struck me that it's a cool thing to see people sharing that space to read, and their love of books," Murdock said.

She ordered a kit, and waited for the ground to thaw to install a library of her own. Murdock initially created the library to pass along her many books. Now, she finds donations of banker boxes full of books on her back doorstep.

"The neighbours will trade books but also people driving in cars either stop to drop off or pick up a book," she said.

"What's been fun for me is to see how many kids use it. I didn't expect it to be a book exchange for children but what I noticed after I put it up was that there were more children using it than adults," Murdock said.

"I have a lot of books and I like to share them. It's a good feeling for me to pass on my love of books to others and especially with the kids that come and take books and know that they can keep them."