EAST BRUNSWICK–Using wood, nails, a small handle and some purple paint, members of Girl Scout Troop 80119 built East Brunswick’s first “Little Free Library.”
Little Free Libraries help increase access to books of all ages and backgrounds when public libraries are not open, according to a prepared statement from the East Brunswick Public Library.
“East Brunswick Public Library staff had already been discussing the creation of some Little Free Libraries when we were approached by Madison Mooney and her mom, Shari Mooney, one of the leaders of Girl Scout Troop 80119, in September 2017,” Youth Services Librarian Suzanne Klein said. “The troop was interested in building and maintaining a Little Free Library as a Bronze Award project and they were hoping they could partner with the library on the project. We were beyond delighted by their enthusiasm and thought they would make a great first partner.”
On Sept. 25, the East Brunswick Public Library held a ceremony to celebrate the installation of East Brunswick’s first Little Free Library, according to a prepared statement.
“The library really wanted to give recognition and express gratitude to the many contributors to this project,” Klein said. “The girls and their troop leaders put a ton of heart, creativity and hard work into the Little Free Library and will continue to do so by maintaining it.”
The library was built by with supplies and assistance from Home Depot in Milltown, according to the statement.
The East Brunswick Department of Recreation, Parks and Community Services worked with library staff to decide on where the unit would be placed and completed the installation.
Girl Scout Troop 80119 Leader Andrea Kaplan said Girl Scouts Sarah Kaplan, Susanne Kaplan, Madison Mooney, Ella Waters, Kayla Yong, Arden Serbest, Sryia Ayalasomayajula and Navya Misra helped build the library.
Shari Mooney said, “It was perfect. [The scouts] were excited and they couldn’t wait. There were some bumps in the road, but they went with the flow and they were really proud of themselves in the end and realized that it’s going to be there forever when they have kids they can say, ‘Hey I did this,'” she said.
Mooney said each scout signed her name on the edges of the library’s roof.
“[The scouts] chose the colors, they chose the design. For the rest of the project, we are going to set up a schedule so that once a month they help in the care of the library. Each girl is also going to do a book donation, whether it be from their school or their church or temple, as well as books from their own collection,” Mooney said.
The Little Free Library is located in Grace Smith Auer Reading Garden at the municipal complex, located at 1 Jean Walling Civic Center.
For more information, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
