All around Indianapolis — and the world, really — there’s something of a secret society, working to inspire their neighbors to read. They’re the keepers of Little Free Libraries, those boxes where you can take a book or leave one for the next reader.
Behind each library, there’s a person who labels the shelves, repairs broken doors or curates the box’s contents. The guardians of Little Free Libraries are unique. But they all have one thing in common — a desire to bring a love of literacy to their neighbors.
We talked to five people in Indianapolis who started a Little Free Library in their neighborhoods. They told us tips for starting your own, the weirdest titles they’ve seen on the shelves and their favorite books from childhood.
Big hearts (and Christian romance?) in Fletcher Place
Three years ago, Abby Maci Reckard bought a 154-year-old Danish church in Fletcher Place with a vision to turn it into a cafe and community space. And she did just that. She opened Lille Bønne Community Living Room this summer.
But she didn’t want to wait until the church was renovated to start connecting with her community. That’s why she built a Little Free Library with her husband, Mark, and invited the neighbors over for a book swap and library launch party in July 2024.
She cleans the box and curates its contents. But it mostly runs on donated books.
“It’s kind of taken on its own little little life, and it’s a reflection of the folks that contribute to it,” Reckard said.
Range of books you can expect: Everything from a kid’s book about flying pigs to the biography of Alexander Hamilton.
Strangest or funniest book you’ve seen? “We’ve recently had stacks of Christian romance novels. My hunch is that they come from the Catholic church across the street.”
Advice for starting your own Little Free Library: “Your neighbors are your biggest resource. And throw a party when it opens!”
Favorite book as a kid? “The Babysitter’s Club.”
Most surprising thing about running a Little Free Library: After someone tore a sticker off the box that said, “Refugees are welcome here,” Reckard painted the same message on the side, inside a rainbow-colored outline of the state of Indiana.
“People after that rallied around it a bit to say, ‘Oh no, this is really important to us, to stand firm,’” Reckard said.
A mecca for moms with strollers
John Essex can see the Little Free Library he started in the park in his neighborhood, Linden Square, from his home office. He watches as parents pushing strollers stop to open the little red box and grab board books.
It’s a project he started with the area’s homeowner’s association 10 years ago. Back then, he was restocking and curating the books every week. Somewhere along the way, he noticed the library was mostly running on its own. His neighbors started going to Ollie’s and Half Price Books to buy books for it, and he put the overflow in his garage.
“I love it when I come out with a crate of books to be like, ‘Hey it’s time to refill. You guys want to see what we have?” he said. “It’s super rewarding. It keeps your faith in humanity, and I love seeing kids reading books.”
There’s been a few disappointing moments. Some people will take the books and sell them. One kid climbed on the Little Free Library and broke the door. But Essex repaired the hinges and painted the door the same blue as his shutters.
Range of books you can expect: Almost all kids’ books, from board books to mystery books for teens.
Strangest or funniest book you’ve seen in there? A “Communication in the Year 2000” college textbook for business students, with ethernet cable graphics on it.
Advice for starting your own Little Free Library: “Accept any books at first to get the donations flowing. Keep it clean and curated. Foster a sense of communal ownership.”
Favorite book as a kid? “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”
Haughville readers love kids’ books. And “Santa vs. Satan?”
Long before Stephen Lane’s career took him to libraries, he loved them. His mom took him to a library on College Avenue that doesn’t exist anymore.
“She was a single parent, and so the library was kind of like our vacation, our escape from everything,” he said. “It’s how we could experience the world.”
He’d tear through horror novels to win prizes for the summer reading challenge. And when he grew up, he started working as a librarian. When the pandemic hit in 2020, he was sent home from his job at the Indianapolis Public Library, so he ordered a Little Free Library online.
“I was bored. I was worried about kids’ access to books and my neighborhood’s access to books while the libraries were closed,” he said.
Lane sat on his porch, trying to figure out how to put it all together. A neighbor saw him working and offered to mix the concrete to set in the pole. A friend who is an artist painted vines and flowers on the box, and Lane took home extra books from the library to get it started.
Range of books you can expect: From “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” to “Tacky and the Emperor” (a book about an eccentric penguin).
Strangest or funniest book you’ve seen in there? “Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights.”
Advice for starting your own Little Free Library: “(Build) it outside, so your neighbors know what you’re doing and get really excited.”
Favorite book as a kid? “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”
Find treasure on this Arden neighborhood ‘island’
Nicole Keller grew up in Iowa City, which is classified as a UNESCO City of Literature. With so many book lovers in Iowa City, she saw Little Free Libraries pop up soon after the national organization started in 2010.
When she moved to Arden, on the north side of Indianapolis, Keller brought the idea for a Little Free Library to her neighbors. They opened up the box in 2014, with a party complete with pinwheels made out of book pages and themed shirts.
It’s been 12 years, and the Little Free Library on a small island of land between streets is still a neighborhood meeting point. Kids will do lemonade stands there, Keller hosts story times and people drop off items for food drives.
📍6900 block of Washington Boulevard
Range of books you can expect: Neatly labeled shelves with kids’ books and adults books, plus a few books from Indiana authors.
Strangest or funniest book you’ve seen in the box? Lots of those “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader” books you’re meant to read on the toilet.
Favorite book as a kid? “Heidi” by Johanna Spyri.
Most surprising thing about running a Little Free Library: “The variety of things my neighbors read. I mean, I’ve just seen all sorts of strange things. And also, people’s generosity.”
The board books behind St. Clair Place’s sunflowers
Tucked into a garden on St. Clair Street, you’ll see a Little Free Library next to sunflowers and murals. Chris Smith started the 1,000 Words garden as an extension of 1,000 Words Inc., an art gallery he runs on 10th Street that features works by Black and brown artists.
The garden and the gallery are meant to help his neighbors on the east side. He got money for the Little Free Library two years ago by applying for a grant from the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center.
“We felt like, in that part of St. Clair Place, there wasn’t a lot of areas or attention for that side of the neighborhood,” he said “We wanted to create a space and an opportunity for literacy to be at the forefront of the work that we were doing.”
That’s not the only kind of little library he runs. At the gallery, there’s a mini art box he created in partnership with Arts For Learning. You take out supplies, make art and put it in the box for your neighbors to see.
Range of books you can expect: Board books and titles for elementary-age children.
Strangest or funniest book you’ve seen in the box? Political memoirs and retrospectives that don’t quite fit in with the board books.
Advice for starting your own Little Free Library? “Think about how storms and extreme heat can affect your house, and build something that will withstand the weather. And make sure to register it with Little Free Library, so it will go on the map.”
Favorite book as a kid? “Hope for the Flowers” by Trina Paulus. “It’s an amazing children’s book that I didn’t know existed until I got the book box up.”
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Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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