Decatur's Little Free Library Opens

Books brought a Decatur neighborhood together Wednesday.

As 30 people and a few dogs watched, a blue tarp was yanked away to reveal a miniature house with a peaked roof and a plexiglass door. It sits on a post beside the sidewalk on Wilton Drive and has room for about 20 books.

The crowd applauded Decatur's first Little Free Library.

Rog Wagner explained the concept: "Bring a book, take a book." Everybody seemed to get it.

Wagner said he decided to build the Little Free Library after seeing a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about one built off Druid Hills Road by David Laufer.

All the materials were recycled or donated except some hardware on the door. "We've got about a dollar twenty-nine cents in this," Wagner said. Neighbors OK'd placement on their property.

Two men in Madison, Wisc., came up with the Little Free Library idea about three years ago as a way to encourage reading and bring communities together. The little libraries have spread across the nation, though not many have been built in the Southeast.

A map on the LFL website shows five of them in Georgia, though it's unclear if one of them has actually been built. The nameplate on the Wilton Drive library says it's number 838.

The little library was blessed by Jon Abercrombie, a neighborhood resident and chairman of the Trustees. He said reading is a good thing and urged people to support both libraries

Wagner quickly filled the little library from a bin full of books. Somebody popped a bottle of champagne and started pouring into plastic cups. As dusk settled, the neighbors stood on the street, talking and sipping.

Click here to hear a WABE radio interview with David Laufer about building his Little Free Library.