Groby Little Free Library

Update November 2021 Sadly, Louise is leaving Groby. She has, however, arranged with a friend for the Little Free Library to be relocated to Crane ley Road. "Nothing else has changed, the little free library still offers children's and adult books for swap, keep or donate and still updates the Facebook page regularly," Louise said.

August 2021 When book sales tumbled between 2011 and 2013 there was speculation that their day was over, and digital books were the way forward. Book sales fell from 344 million in 2011 to 184 million in 2013, but this turned out to be more or less the bottom of the slump. Sales didn’t creep back over the 200 million level until last year, perhaps because people were reading more during lockdown or because public libraries were not allowed to open. Avid readers either had to buy or participate in the informal exchange of books with friends, neighbours or local social media groups.

The financial crash resulted in the tightening of local government finance and led to many libraries, including ours in Groby, being run by volunteers. In addition, free small local libraries popped up in the most unusual places, many being set up at the same time that book sales fell sharply along with local authority funding.

Libraries are believed to be the most common use for phone boxes sold to local communities by BT. Groby doesn’t have a telephone box library, but since April it does have a little free library, created by local resident Louise Scorer, on Old Hall Close. It would be an understatement to call Louise a book lover, as despite all the books in her home and little library, one of the family’s favourite things to do is visit bookshops and buy more, with her personal favourites being horror and crime novels.

The simplest ideas are often the best

“I'd seen some amazing village book swaps and the website of the USA little free library movement, and myself and my children really missed the village library during lockdown,” explained Louise. The simplest ideas are often the best and most successful, and this is a great example of providing a valued service whilst at the same time recycling furniture and books. Louise converted a cabinet into a bookcase and with the help of her husband set about giving it a makeover.

Weather wise April isn’t the kindest of months to launch a book repository outside your house that is open for everyone, all of the time. As it stays out in all weathers some emergency action was soon needed to ensure the library was waterproof. “We are learning as we go and after extreme weather such as storms, high winds, heavy rain or snow I will review how we are coping and make adjustments as needed,” Louise explained. “We have not had to cope with winter yet but I am considering some sort of covering for the library for overnight in winter if I feel it's needed.”

All stock is donated

The library doesn’t accept cash donations, but received plenty of book donations from friends to get it stocked initially and keeps a few boxes of overflow. Seasonal books such as children's Christmas books are held back until needed. The stock is self-sustaining as, although readers can borrow a book and keep it if they wish, the number of exchanges and donations more than covers any that are not returned. “I don't need to take any larger donations anymore as we have a really good stock of books and the flow that comes in and out is now maintaining what we need. Readers don't have to return books if they don't want to. They’re welcome to keep them, pass them onto a friend or return to a different little free library.”

As all the stock is donated the range of fiction and non-fiction can be diverse, reflecting the interests of the local community. The top shelf of the cabinet is adult books, anything from crime, romance, war novels, cookery books and other non-fiction. The bottom shelf is children's books ranging from baby books, board books, early readers, picture books and more. There are also two overflow top drawers, left side is currently more adult novels and right is a wide range of Disney books. These are rotated and changed often to keep the display interesting.

Children and adults love the library

The library is not just popular with adults, it is very popular with children of all ages and children's books are the most popular at Louises’s library. This may probably be due to there being lots of families in the area and a location very close to Marina Park. “I have run a summer reading challenge bingo sheet over school holidays to encourage children to keep reading, and had small prizes available to collect. I will do more events throughout the year, so keep an eye out for those, particularly on social media where I regularly post updates about events and new books available.”

Although not widely reported, vandalism is a problem in Groby, and Louise has had plenty of negative comments from people who are concerned that her free library will get vandalised or people will "steal". The risks do not deter Louise. “You cannot really steal when the books are free,” she says and adds that “we have had zero issues with damage so far. I am in touch with other little library stewards around the world and sometimes they have experienced damage from people, but have easily repaired and continued with their great work. If this occurs, I will do the same.”

A vision beautifully delivered

So there you have it : the little free library is always open on Old Hall Close. You can help yourself to any books or swap books. Its really that simple. People can share about the library online and on social media.

Every project needs someone with a vision, and it’s clear that Louise fits the bill. “I just want people, of all ages, to enjoy reading. Whether it’s returning to a love of reading when you haven't had time. Or perhaps you'd like to aim to read more, or read more to your children. I really believe access to reading and books should be free and as easy as possible and want to share this as much as I can. There's something for everyone at the Old Hall Close free library.”

Online links

www.instagram.com/little_free_library_Groby

www.facebook.com/groups/littlefreelibrarygroby

Finding the Free Library

Old Hall Close is a cul de sac,so try to visit on foot or cycle. If you have to travel by car, please think of the neighbours and park on the Sycamore Drive car park at Stamford Park. A footpath connects the park to Old Hall Close.