Falcon’s latest and unquestionably smallest new building is the little library on the corner of St. Anne’s Road and Sunningdale Road. Erected by Jenni and Brian Helland, who live on that corner, the Little Library first appeared in the middle of October, offering a wide selection of books for all ages.The Hellands built the structure themselves, after Jenni Helland found doors for the library on the Facebook page of Falcon Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style. They built the tiny library around the doors. Helland said the idea originated when she discovered another little library on her drive to work. ìThere’s one on Platte, at a house on Platte, and I thought, ‘That’s a really, really good idea,’î she said. ìWe’ve always wanted to be a house in the community that people can come to. We thought about passing out hot cocoa at the bus stop.î They discarded the hot cocoa idea, thinking that parents might not want their children drinking cocoa from strangers. The Hellands continued to mull over ideas to reach out to the community, since they live at the corner where the school bus stops. After seeing the little library on Platte, Helland had their community outreach plan. ìWe had a couple we were friends with that died in a tragic accident in 2012,î she said. ìThey always brought books for our kids and were a ‘no TV’ household. The husband would always wear Dr. Seuss shirts.î The Hellands decided to dedicate the little library as a memorial for their friends, Tom and Cindy Pineault. Helland said they have plans to put an ìin memory ofî plate on the library, but they are waiting for the plaque from http://littlefreelibrary.org so they can determine the size of the memorial plate. They also plan on decorating the back of the library with Dr. Seussian style pictures and Dr. Seuss quotes.Helland said they had to pay a fee to get the little library registered with http://littlefreelibrary.org. According to the website, libraries must have a charter sign and a charter number for each library to receive benefits as members of the worldwide LFL network. The Little Free Library is an organization focused on combatting illiteracy. They refer to the libraries as a ìëtake a book, return a bookí gathering place, where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories.î Helland’s family will be the keepers of the collections, but neighbors can take books and also leave books. Helland said many books have been contributed.ìOur goal is to have all the classics Ö like Moby Dick, Charlotteís Web,î she said. ìThat middle shelf I want to be all classics. The very bottom is going to be little kids’ books. I’m trying to get enough books where the kid books will rotate with different themes. I want to rotate the holidays and have a month rotation of books.îHelland said in the summer months, for example, she would like to have a month dedicated to books on bugs and another on books related to animalsShe said that kids getting off and on the bus are always peeking in the little library. And people driving by stop and check it out, too. It adds to the community, Helland said.
