By Bryant Thigpen
Riverbend News
Located on the corner of Branford Highway and Wideman Road in Branford is a goldmine for children and adults who have a passion for reading. Wendy Stines, a paraprofessional at Branford Elementary School, has the Little Free Library, which is available for anyone anytime who wants to pick up a few books to read. The best part is, it’s all free.
“I’ve always been an avid reader. I have quite a large library of books I hope to read one day,” Stines said. “When I came across this idea of a Little Free Library online, I thought it would be neat for our town.”
For much of her life, Stines has been a part of book groups and has even become a participant of book crossing. Those who participate in book crossing place an identification label on the book, and then it’s sent around the world, with the hopes that whoever reads it will log onto the website and share their location and their feedback of the book.
It was in the midst of her book travels online that she discovered the concept of the Little Free Library. While her Little Free Library is the only one of its kind in Branford, Stines said there are actually over 100,000 of them in the world. Stines said she loved the concept and thought it was a great way to encourage reading in her community.
“My husband actually built the library out of scrap lumber that was laying around the yard,” she said. “We put it up in June of 2019, painted it, and it’s been going strong ever since.” Since its inception, the little library had endured much weather, so Stines decided to give it a facelift on Labor Day weekend with a new paint job, new lettering and a new sign.
As an employee at Branford Elementary School, Stines knows that students are encouraged to read daily. “I work at the elementary school, so I know how important it is for kids to read,” she said. “We make sure the library is full of books for children. We go through a lot of children’s books, but I’m able to fill it full of children’s books quite often.”
Not only are there books for children, but there are plenty for adults of all ages as well. “I am always putting new books out and have a wide assortment of books for adults as well,” Stines said. “If someone is looking for a particular genre or book, I’ll do my best to help them find it.”
Anyone is welcome to stop by and pick up a book. Once the person has completed the book, they are welcome to bring it back or pass it along for someone else to read. Stines said the library is always in need of books and donations are welcomed. They can be dropped off at the library, or if there are too many to leave, they can message Stines on Facebook or call (386) 965-0048 to make other arrangements.