How Wisconsin’s capital city is involved in a global movement
It's Little Free Library Week! Between May 17 and 23, celebrate by sharing photos of your favorite book-sharing box, adding books to boxes near you and playing Little Free Library bingo. Check out littlefreelibrary.org to learn more.
The streets of Madison are full of surprises — but some are easy to miss.
Tucked between city sidewalks and front lawns stand tiny wooden boxes, stocked tightly with books.
These boxes are Little Free Libraries, a movement invented in 2009 by a history teacher from Wisconsin by the name of Todd Bol. The idea was simple: a windowed box decorated however an owner pleased, placed somewhere public and accessible, allowing neighbors to swap books for free. Although, not all thought this honor system would work — even Todd’s brother, Tony.
“I would say it was like a pet rock,” Tony Bol laughed.
Yet Todd’s passion for the idea may have been the driving force behind its start.
“He was an extrovert,” Tony said. “With the concept of Little Free Library, he was so excited. He was infectious. He was truly a Johnny Appleseed.”
To start the movement, Todd launched a pilot program test involving 30 Little Free Libraries across the nation to gauge success. J.J. Kilmer, the owner of the local Madison coffee shop said Indie Coffee was the third of these Little Free Libraries. She remembered learning about the program at Madison’s Willy Street Fair in 2009, where Todd attempted to spread the word and gain local media coverage.
“Right away, I was like ‘I’m interested! Let’s do this thing’... Having a Little Free Library totally felt like a natural extension of Indie Coffee,” Kilmer said.
Early supporters like Kilmer soon began sharing the idea through their own networks. It was only a matter of time before these 30 libraries became a movement, catching the eyes of thousands through only a tiny wooden box.
With the massive success, Madison saw an explosion of interest, bringing now 37 Little Free Libraries to the Madison area alone, according to the organization’s official website.
As of today, the Little Free Library organization reported there being more than 200,000 book-sharing boxes worldwide, spanning across 128 countries.
One of these belongs to Grace Episcopal Church and is run by wedding officiant Pat Werk. The library was built to replicate the church itself, even including its stained glass windows.
Werk said the library stays full thanks to community donations and the “take a book, leave a book” system that keeps books constantly circulating.
“In November of 2024, we have given away, literally, like, thousands of books,” Werk recalls. “I have volunteers that are restocking that thing three times a week.”
A program that began right inside of Madison turned into a global movement, and the impact was beyond what even Todd could have imagined. The system allows books to constantly circulate, meaning no two visits to a Little Free Library are exactly the same. The idea has shifted to create similar free, accessible access to all sorts of items, from clothing items to food pantries.
For Tony, watching the movement grow meant watching his brother’s dream outlast him.
“When [Todd] was in hospice, and he was dying in bed, and we spent a long time waiting. And what I would do is say ‘Todd, pick a state’, and then he’d say ‘Arkansas', and we would find the names of the Little Free Library and Little Free Sharing groups. And I could name a lot more of them that he inspired,” Tony said.
Tony Bol died from pancreatic cancer on Oct. 18, 2018. However, what began as Todd’s story has now blossomed into the stories of book lovers across the world.
Stationed on Capitol Square, Werk has found her library suits each member of the Madison community.
“One of my favorite stories was when I was stocking the Little Free Library, and here were, like, three homeless guys sitting on a bench, each reading a book,” Werk said. “I thought it was super cool.”
Each library, each front yard sharing box, connects Madison, and even all of Wisconsin, to the world around us. Tony Bol said the Wisconsin Historical Society is working on an exhibit on Little Free Libraries, set to be placed in his hometown of Hudson.
A history teacher from Wisconsin is now the subject of a historical exhibit.
A brother gets to reflect on a legacy that has spread across the globe.
And a community like Madison gets to be among the center of perhaps the biggest movement in bibliographical history.
All thanks to a tiny wooden box.
