BUTTE — Take a book, share a book—that’s the motto of the Little Free Library, and now Butte has one of its own located in an area identified as a book desert.
"Part of the grant process was determining that this is a bit of a book desert in this part of the town. We are lower than average income with people that need to be able to have access to these types of services," says Doug Ingraham, a member of the Silver Bow Kiwanis of Butte.
Ingraham and other members of the Butte Kiwanis placed the Little Free Library on Utah Avenue located near a housing complex and Butte’s homeless shelter. He says the free library facilitates opportunities for children who might not have access to new books.
"It’s important that they can find what inspires them so they can move on to be inspired," says Ingraham.
The free library is currently stocked with a donation of 1,000 brand new books that are part of what Ingraham says was a roughly 10 to 12 thousand dollar grant from Scholastic Books.
But, why give people books? What does a book do for somebody?
"It’s something tangible that they can hold in their hands. It’s something that they can share, they can trade. It’s something that they can own. It’s something that can tell a story about them or it’s something that can bring a new world to them that they didn’t know."
Along with the brand new Little Free Library, Kiwanis supports another little library near Kennedy Elementary School and they plan to open another on the Flats. New books from the Scholastic grant were also donated to Southwest Montana Community Healthcare and the Butte Rescue Mission.
