I moved to Canada just over a year ago, from UK, & couldn’t be happier to make this beautiful island our home.
One of my fascinations when I first arrived here was Little Free Libraries. The fact that we live in a place where these libraries are enjoyed & respected is not something to be taken for granted.
After buying our first home in a new development at Southpoint (Langford), I couldn’t wait to help grow our community by hosting a Little Free Library.
I have very limited Do-It-Yourself skills, so I wasn’t really sure where to start! I looked on the littlefreelibrary.org website for ideas, & then stumbled upon the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network whilst searching for local resources. Teale was kind enough to suggest old newspaper boxes as a good base for the library, & after a few months wait, an old newspaper box became available at the Times Colonist.
First job on the list was sanding the box in preparation for painting. This revealed a couple of holes that needed repairing to make it water-right, and also removal of the spring-loaded locking mechanism so that no-one would trap their fingers in the door! I visited Heritage Acres Historical Society in Saanichton for help with this – they had all the tools & knowledgeable people kindly willing to assist.
Second job was painting the box – this was the fun part!
I settled on the marine blue colour, in keeping with the ocean that we’re so fortunate to be surrounded by. I was keen to include some island themed decorations, & after some internet searches I found Compass West Graphics Inc. in Colwood – they make amazing Vancouver Island themed decals.
For book donations I posted on local Facebook groups, & several people were kind enough to donate a great selection of books to get the library started.
I registered the library with the Little Free Library org, & obtained my unique charter number.
Finally, the library went live for the community to enjoy. I’m excited to be hosting this, & proud of the finished product.
Author: Helen S.
