Las Bibliotequitas

La Bibliotequita

About Las Bibliotequitas

In October 2015, Haywood County Public Library (HCPL) installed two brightly painted Little Libraries - Las Bibliotequitas - in Waynesville. One Little Library is located near the soccer field at Vance Street Park and the other is in front of the store, La Mexicanita, on South Main Street. Inspired by the Little Free Library movement, where small free-standing containers filled with free books have been installed in front of people’s homes, parks, and schools, the HCPL spreads a love of reading and advertises services to the Hispanic community in Haywood County, a population the library wishes to better serve.

Building of the Las Bibliotequitas

Las Bibliotequitas were built by long-time library user William Rhodarmer, and painted by two local young Hispanic women, Marisol Garcia and Elizabeth Martin, under the guidance of their Girl Scout leader Marcia Tate, as a Girl Scout community service project from Troop 30250. The two Bibliotequitas are filled with books for children, teens, and adults in both Spanish and English that anyone may borrow. Similar to how Little Free Libraries work, where people are encouraged to "take a book and return a book." The Bibliotequitas operate on the honor system, where borrowers are entrusted to return any books they borrow to the Bibliotequitas for someone else to enjoy. This project was made possible by the Friends of the Haywood County Public Library.

Awards

Las Bibliotequitas is the winner of the 2016 North Carolina Public Library Director Association’s Award for Service and Innovation!