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Across Stark County, small book-sharing boxes are building a community centered around reading, donating books and connecting with neighbors.
Every day, there are residents from all corners of our community taking from or donating books to Little Free Libraries at their leisure— showcasing the importance of having convenient access to free books.
Currently, there are 85 registered Little Free Libraries in Stark County, which are part of a network made up of 200,000 libraries spanning all 50 states, more than 120 countries and all seven continents.
The nonprofit organization hopes to build community in every neighborhood by inspiring readers and expanding book access.
“Little Free Libraries make book access incredibly convenient,” said Margret Aldrich, Little Free Library senior director of communications. “They put books where people already are—along sidewalks, in parks, outside schools and in neighborhoods—making it easy to stumble upon a book that sparks curiosity. Sometimes that unexpected discovery is exactly what inspires someone to become a lifelong reader.”
These libraries often have an impact beyond book trading.
“One of the biggest surprises is how often people tell us their Little Free Library has become a neighborhood gathering place,” Aldrich said. “We hear stories of neighbors meeting for the first time while browsing books, families planning evening walks around visiting nearby Little Free Libraries and children who look forward to checking ‘their’ library every week.”
At Aultman College, its Little Free Library began as an outreach project to promote reading and improve community health. Today, it has stood for over a decade and is located conveniently on the way to Cedar Elementary School.
“We hoped the Little Free Library would especially impact parents and students—and that may be why our children’s, young readers and young adult selections fly off the shelves,” said Jean Paddock, president of Aultman College.
Along with the number of books that community members take and donate from its Little Free Library independently, Aultman College has distributed 2,800 books since 2023.
The longevity of this effort is supported by Aultman Health System and Aultman College faculty, staff and students who continue to donate to the library.
“Our campus was, and continues to be, interested in learning and promoting reading as an extension of what we and our students do on a daily basis,” Paddock said.
With a similar belief in the importance of literacy and access to books, Girl Scout Troop 60019 opened its first Little Free Library in Stark County at North Canton’s Rotary Park as a community action project in 2024.
“We learned that our community loves books and reading,” said Sadie Freeman, Girl Scout Troop 60019 leader. “We all feel it’s important for everybody to have access to literature.”
The troop not only helped build, stain and install the library box, but also consistently donates books, bookmarks and 3-D printed toys to keep the library stocked—uplifting its usage and expanding accessibility.
“I started noticing a lot of people checking in on the Little Free Library app,” said Freeman. “Others brought books and told me if we needed to replenish the box.”
The Rotary Park location’s success inspired the troop to install a second library box with a bench at Camp Ledgewood in Peninsula, Ohio this August—and the troop hopes to continue expanding to more locations in the future.
The troop’s motivation to continue giving back to their community in a meaningful way is exactly the mission of Little Free Library.
“Starting a Little Free Library is a simple but lasting way to give back,” Aldrich said. “Many stewards tell us they get just as much joy from stocking books and meeting neighbors as readers get from discovering their next great read.”
Paddock also encourages community members to host a Little Free Library of their own.
“It doesn’t have to be fancy or deluxe—just simply a location to exchange books,” Paddock said. “It’s uncanny how many take off and are used regularly.”
Learn more about Little Free Library and find local box locations at www.littlefreelibrary.org.