Book Lovers Build Gulfport's Little Free Library

A group of passionate book lovers decided it was time to share their love of reading by building an official "Little Free Library" right here in Gulfport.

Gulfport's Little Free Library officially opened on April 3 at 2414 58th St. S.

Zora De Bodisco and Bill Gorman, members of the Circle of Friends and supporters of the Gulfport Public Library, decided to build the small free library to make quality books easily accessible to everyone. They first heard of the "Little Free Library" movement on the radio and quickly looked into building one of their own.

The couple teamed up with homebuilder John Kellog to create a unique Little Public Library that would reflect and represent Gulfport. Kellog made the small building with De Bodisco and Gorman adding the details and picking out books that best reflect our town's slogan, "If it's too weird for Gulfport, it's just too wierd," De Bodisco writes.

The Little Public Libraries operate on a "take a book, leave a book" model. The books are free. Each book is labeled "Always Free, Never for Sale," De Bodisco writes in a press release.

De Bodisco says their first visitor, Phyllis Plotnick, the chair of the Circle of Friends, was delighted to have first pick of books.

"Then neighbor Doris Hildalgo-Mota came over with her rescue dog Teddy to have a look at the new addition to the neighborhood and added a couple books she wanted to share," De Bodisco writes.

Gulfport's Little Free Library joins thousands across the world. 

The Little Free Library movement began in 2009 in Wisconsin. Since then, little wooden boxes, filled with books, have popped up from coast to coast and even overseas. In fact, you can click on a map of all the Little Free Lirbary's in the world on the organization's website.

You can learn more about the non-profit movement on the Little Free Library's website.

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