By: Nathalie Pierpont '22
In culmination of several months of hard work, the Library Squad just launched Groton’s first Little Free Library. The Little Free Library program is a worldwide system comprised of over 90,000 registered public book exchanges. The goal of the program is to provide public access to a collection of books and foster community engagement through book trading.
Our team organized several bins around campus to collect book donations and were greeted with much generosity from the LA community, allowing us to start the program right away. Head of School Dan Scheibe spoke proudly of this initiative, saying, “It all came together in a very LA way, because once the students got involved, things happened.” This was a big project, but the display of communication and collaboration reflected the ambition of everyone involved.
Our original inspiration for the Little Free Library came from Mrs. Montesano, who had seen one on a college campus and thought, “we could have one here at LA!” She was persistent with this idea and brought it to the Library Squad early this spring, where we discussed our plans of bringing the concept into reality. After delegating the tasks, we got right into setting the plan in action.
The physical components of the project were accomplished due to the creativity and hard work of our visionary and architect, Dina Mordeno, who built a small-scale model of the Ferguson Building, complete with hinged doors and glass windows. She was assisted by sophomores Abigale Moran and Alexandra Kelly, who helped with the construction and painting. Mrs. Mordeno said, “The motivating factor for me to build the library was the excitement for the project from the library squad,” reflecting the enthusiasm of the entire team as we watched it come to life.
LA’s Little Free Library now stands by the roundabout in front of Dr. Green, a high-traffic part of our campus, where its bright colors and stacks of books are sure to catch the eye of passersby. We encourage you to engage with it, for as Mrs. Montesano puts it, “this library is a resource for our community and the greater community of Groton.”