Little Free Library at HCIC by Kirin Nabi

Have you seen the little white masjid with the golden dome as you leave the HCIC and wondered what it is? It’s a Little Free Library (LFL) and it really is what it says it is. You can take a book if you see one you like, you can leave books for others, and if you don’t have one to leave right away, that is ok, you can return the one you took when you are done reading it, or you can donate one later. You can even decorate a rock at home and put it at the base, the library belongs to us all.

Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. One of the most successful ways to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase their access to books, especially at home (McGill-Franzen & Allington, 2009). Through Little Free Libraries, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds. While we have wonderful libraries here in Birmingham, sometimes it might be hard to get to them, so inshaAllah, our own LFL will help bridge the gap.

All books are welcome, as long as they are not deliberately disrespectful, unIslamic or in disrepair. Many of the books are stamped, to avoid people trying to resell them at second hand shops and deprive others of the Little Free Library experience. So, stop by, browse, take a book, spread the word, and enjoy. The library is open to everyone, and inshaAllah the more it is used, the more baraka it will bring.