Perched on a pole, planted firmly in a well-manicured lawn in Hendersonville, stands a wooden box in the shape of a miniature house.

It’s the Little Free Library on Leota (LFLL), and it’s a labor of love for resident Elisa Alexander.

A staunch advocate for literacy, Elisa’s library holds a special place in her heart. The two charming, forest green structures were erected in remembrance of her mother, Pamela Philyaw, who passed away in 2000.

“My mother was a big proponent of financial literacy, and I'm a big proponent of literacy in general because if you can't read, you can't read your bank statements, you can't fill out medical forms, you can't do any of those things,” says Elisa. “I work in the medical field and see that a lot, so I thought the library was the perfect way to recognize her, and something my family and I could do together.”

Located in the front yard of the Alexander’s house, the LFLL was designed and built as a family project.

“The kids and I, along with my husband, painted it together,” explains Elisa. “We held book drives to fill it. The kids just loved it, and we thought this was such a great thing we could do for other neighborhoods.”

The LFLL is the first of five libraries Elisa and her family placed in various locations throughout Sumner County, including one that stood in front of the former Sumner County Literacy Council.

In the years since its inception, the LFLL has had a noticeable impact on the neighborhood, which has responded with book donations Elisa pays forward to other Little Libraries.

“We have people walking from other neighborhoods to visit the library. They drive up here. They bring books. They swap them out,” she says. “People love to donate books, so now we drive around with books in our car and anytime we spot another Little Library, we pull over and donate to it.”

Although some library stewards construct their own independent free libraries, Elisa purchased five kits from the Little Free Library website, a decision that was made thoughtfully and philanthropically.

“All proceeds go to the Little Free Library nonprofit organization, and it helps them plant libraries in neighborhoods that can't afford one,” Elisa explains. “Although we could have chosen to build our own, I felt like this would help other areas that wouldn’t have resources or access to books.”

Elisa stresses this access is vital.

"If books are on hand, if they're available, people will read them," she says.

The Little Free Library organization’s mission is to provide more equitable and expansive access to books worldwide, and to strengthen communities by inspiring readers and impacting literacy. As Little Free Libraries have begun to pop up in cities and neighborhoods everywhere, it has prompted the growth of a community of stewards, who maintain the libraries and furnish them with donated books, as well as an app to map the location of all the Little Free Libraries near you.

To that end, the Little Free Library organization believes in promoting literacy with a book for every person and a library in every community.

Little Free Library Website:

https://littlefreelibrary.org

Little Free Library Mobile App:

https://littlefreelibrary.org/app/