A Love Letter to Little Free Libraries in Lynchburg

Dear Reader,

The Little Free Library movement began in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin and quickly spread across the United States and beyond.[1] Here in Lynchburg, I began noticing the growth of Little Free Libraries, especially this year, when coronavirus prevented in-person visits to libraries, archives, and museums which for me, are like second homes.

COVID-19 coincided with my reading of Spencer’s Mountain and The Homecoming, books that became source material for Earl Hamner’s television show, The Waltons. First published in 1961, Clay-Boy (John-Boy on TV) opens a little library at the curve of the road which takes on the name “Friendship Corner.” Hamner’s books are colorful, dramatic stories of life at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1930s. Each book that makes its way to Friendship Corner is shared with a small, but steadfast community of readers. Books have always been at the center of American life, whether during the Great Depression of the 1930s or the pandemic of 2020.

Hope you give & get books for Christmas this year!

Laura Macaluso        

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[1] See www.littlefreelibrary.org for an impressive map of 100,000 locations around the world.