Replica of London phone booth, 2 unique benches added to place of rest and reading near Monon Greenway at City Center
**CARMEL, IN – **The City of Carmel unveiled a unique new Little Free Library on Monday, August 13, featuring a replica of a London phone booth, retro-fitted with bookshelves to be filled with books to be shared; and two reading benches that resemble open books. The literary place of rest and reading is located just west of the Monon Greenway in City Center, a little south of Center Green.
Mayor Jim Brainard and Indiana’s own award-winning author James Alexander Thom placed the first group of books inside the Little Free Library after a short ceremony.
“We celebrate the arts in Carmel and this project represents the literary arts, generating a love of reading. We hope the community uses this free book exchange to encourage reading for years to come,” Mayor Brainard explained.
“It has been said that the problem with American cities is that there is no place to sit down. And sitting down is especially good if you have something to read,” said Thom, a New York Times bestselling author who writes historic fiction based on frontier and Indian wars history.
The Little Free Library contains books that are freely shared with members of the public who can also donate books to be shared. The project was sponsored by the City of Carmel, the Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation (CCPL), Anderson Birkla and Software Engineering Professionals (SEP). Signworks, Inc., designed and built the structures.
The project was several months in the making and, with the continued assistance of city partners CCPL Foundation and SEP, the library will be maintained with adult, young adult and children’s books. However, the public is also encouraged to borrow and stock the shelves in support of this community endeavor.
The unique benches feature the following Indiana authors as well as their books:
James Alexander Thom – Follow the River
Mari Evans – A Dark & Splendid Mass
John Green – The Fault in our Stars
Gene Stratton Porter – A Girl of the Limberlost
Kurt Vonnegut – Complete Stories
James Whitcomb Riley- Little Orphant Annie
Little Free Libraries exist in 85 countries around the world. The non-profit organization fosters a love of reading and inspires creativity by encouraging the creation of neighborhood book exchanges. More than a dozen Little Free Libraries are located throughout Carmel including some on school grounds and parkland as well as those installed for public use by private citizens. You can view locations of registered Little Free Libraries in Carmel on www.LittleFreeLibrary.org/ourmap
