Little Free Library takes off in Cathlamet

Heading to the marina from downtown Cathlamet, one might stroll down Butler Street and come across Jim Kolberg’s home and the little free library that adorns his front yard.

It all started for Kolberg one night in early March.

“I was watching the NBC nightly news and a story came on about a Wisconsin man. He wanted to honor his mother, a former teacher and book lover, who had passed away. He built a miniature model of a library, filled it with books for anyone to take, and placed it outside his home.

“People really liked the idea and so this guy (Todd Bol) contacted a friend and together they launched ‘The Little Free Library’,” Kolberg said this week.

Bol and his friend Rick Brooks, who is an outreach program manager for the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin, provide logistical assistance and support to people who want to become mini-librarians. They have a website, littlefreelibrary.org, which provides drawings that people can use to construct the boxes. It also has a map that tracks the location of Little Libraries.

On that map, a house-like icon sits over Cathlamet where Kolberg, a retired Japanese language teacher, has built his little library out of recycled materials. Overlooking the boundaries of the marina, his library supports the nautical theme with authentic port holes and sailing rope.

“There are no rules for the library,” Kolberg said, “you take a book, and you leave a book. It’s pretty simple.

“It’s not a new concept. People have been trading books out of cardboard boxes in staff rooms and offices for decades. I thought this idea was a neat way to share books with the community. So why not give it a try?”

Of his experience as a mini-librarian, Kolberg said, “It’s been positive. I’ve had a lot of fun meeting people.”

Patrons to Kolberg’s library have the opportunity to sign his guestbook. People from all over have registered their names and book titles since the library went up only a few months ago.

“It’s bringing a different culturescape to the community,” Kolberg said. “I keep it stocked with what I read, but the more people that contribute, the more variety I can offer.”

As he talks, Kolberg looks through his current selection. About half of the books have come from his personal library but he can identify the ones that others have left. Kolberg’s little free library proves a small but effective way to pass on a love of literature within the community.