1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum Here. Todd Bowle tore down his old garage 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: door in two thousand nine, the year his mother died. 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: Using the scrap wood, he created something new, a box 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: shaped like a little red schoolhouse. He set it on 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: a post in his yard in Hudson, Wisconsin, and included 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: a door that opened to give access to the books 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: he placed inside. His mother had been a school teacher, 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: and this book box helped keep her legacy alive. He felt. 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: Bole died on October eighteenth, eighteen, at age sixty two 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: of pancreatic cancer, but not before some seventy five thousand 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: Little Free Library boxes had been created and the movement 13 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: had spread worldwide. Today, the movement has over a hundred 14 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: and thirty eight thousand boxes present in a hundred and 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: twelve countries and on all seven continents, including one in 16 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: an arcticle at the South Pole. They can be found 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: on people's lawns, in public parks, at New York City 18 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: subway stops, and in a refugee camp in Uganda. People 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: place books in them and take books away in an 20 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: easy exchange. There are no memberships, no fines, and no 21 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: expectations except for communities dedication to reading and sharing books. 22 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: Both told The Washington Post in I put up my 23 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: library and noticed my neighbors talking to it like it 24 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: was a little puppy, and I realized there was some 25 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: kind of magic about it. When he realized people loved 26 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: the idea of small free library boxes, he and a 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: friend worked to extend the magic, building and giving away boxes. 28 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: With national media attention in eleven, the movement grew exponentially, 29 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: and both formed the nonprofit Little Free Library. He told 30 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: the Minneapolis Star Tribune in oh what we have found 31 00:01:57,720 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: is that the neighborhood starts to feel like it's the 32 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: airs in today's polarized society. The boxes create a common 33 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: space that people are comfortable with. He said. He felt 34 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: the boxes also had a folk art appeal. Although there 35 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 1: are lots of different blueprints and tutorials aimed at different 36 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: skill levels available on the nonprofit's website, you can build 37 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: and decorate a box however you'd like. Bole himself was 38 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: an erstwhile school teacher turned entrepreneur concerned with the public good. 39 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: Among his ventures was a company that arranged funding for 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: nurses to come from overseas to fill a nursing shortage 41 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: in the United States. Today, Little Free Library boxes are 42 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: located in hospitals in Ireland, prisons in Wisconsin, police stations 43 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles, outside school in Sudan, and on the 44 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: Yamal Peninsula in Siberia, where reindeer herders live. The organization 45 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: also launched Action Book Club, which encourages people to read 46 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: and discuss books on timely topics and take part in 47 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,679 Speaker 1: service projects together, and the Reading Color Initiative, which encourages 48 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: people to read and share books that amplify and celebrate 49 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: diverse voices. And the Impact Library Program, which places little 50 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: libraries and areas with little to no access to books 51 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: and unbound digital events series. If you're interested in building 52 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: a Little Free Library or participating in the network in 53 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: your area, go to Little Free Library dot org to 54 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: get started. There's a world map where you can see 55 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: whether there's already a little library in your neighborhood, plus 56 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: lots of resources for getting involved. They're not a sponsor, 57 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: We just think they're cool. Today's episode is based on 58 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: the article how Todd Bowl started the Little Free Library 59 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: movement on how Stuff Works dot com. Written by Stell Simonton. 60 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I heart Radio and partnership 61 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: with how stuff works dot com, and it's produced by 62 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: Tyler Playing with assistance from Ramsey Young. For more podcasts 63 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 64 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.