Little Free Library Comes to Snellville

Drop that e-book reader and head to the library--the Little Free Library, that is. 

Judy Leavell and her husband, Ted Sokall, of Snellville, opened one just two weeks ago right in front of their home in Summit Chase. The Little Free Library is a mailbox-type structure that allows anyone to come by and take a book, leave a book or both.

"We decided that that would just be an absolutely wonderful way to get some of our favorite books out to our neighbors and meet some of our neighbors," said Leavell.

After reading about it in an article, Leavell and Sokall decided to get it started right away. They approached a friend at church, and he agreed to build it and the couple finished it with painting.

While Snellville's isn't one of the first libraries to open--the trend started in 2011, and the Snellville location is Post No. 6,695 in the world--Leavell and Sokall are extremely proud of it, announcing its arrival during the Snellville City Council meeting July 22.

"We used to know a lot more of our neighbors, but people have moved and people have come back," said Leavell, who's been living in Summit Chase for 29 years. "I've met more people since we put this in two weeks ago than I did in the year before." 

Leavell said the library is usually packed and stacked with books, fitting anywhere from 50 to 70 books, ranging from kids books to teen to guidebooks, but on Friday when Snellville Patch visited the box, it only had one row of books.

"We're down a little bit now, but somebody will come by and bring books,"  said Leavell. "They always do. You walk out and surprise! There are new books out there." 

She said that the library sees interactions from neighbors almost everyday. At first, the couple had their fair share of naysayers, saying the books were going to get soggy, people will write all over them and that no one would read a regular book anymore; they read off their Kindles and Nooks.

"We said, 'Well, if that's what happens, then it happens,'" said Leavell. "But we like the idea of trying it. We love to read, our kids love to read, and we just want to give an opportunity for people to share ideas and talk about it." 

So far, the library has gotten mounds of positive feedback from those using it. 

"I checked my mail the other day and this guy stopped me and said, 'Hey! I've got your book on Ellis Island, I'm going to bring it back,' and I said, 'You don't have to bring it back, you can keep it," she said.

His response: "No, this is a really good book. Someone's going to want to read this."

And she wants others to do that, too. Regardless of if the books come back to the Little Free Library again, Leavell asks anyone who borrows a book to write their opinion in the front and pass it on to someone else.

Leavell hopes more Little Free Libraries will pop up in Snellville, but in the meantime, she welcomes anyone living outside Summit Chase to use their library at 3157 Brooks Dr., too. 

To find out more about the Little Free Library, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.

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