PITTSFIELD, Massachusetts – Brielle Blessing is stocking her Free Little Library in Pittsfield with books.
The soon-to-be seventh-grader recently decided to start a little free library for her neighborhood to bring people closer together, encourage reading in her community, and provide a book to those who may not be able to afford one.
What you need to know
- There is a free small library in Pittsfield
- This was created by Brielle Blessing
- Brielle wanted to promote reading and bring her neighborhood together
- The library is used daily by many
“I’ve noticed a lot of comments that there’s nothing that really brings us together, that there’s nothing that really brings us closer,” Blessing said. “And I know a lot of people love to read. And I think this is a great idea for the community. We can give something to others if someone can’t afford a book or wants more. I think this is a way to impart knowledge.”
Blessing used her Christmas money to buy books to start her library and has since purchased a variety of different materials for her library. She wants to encourage all ages to read, so when stocking her library she is careful to choose books that will be of interest to different age groups.
“We have a great selection of books for children, teenagers and very young children,” she said. “Sometimes we include bedtime stories. And we have a great selection of adult books in the library.”
The idea to open this library came to Blessing last year after a summer trip to Maine where she saw a little free library. This summer, she and her stepfather worked on an area with a bench and reading corner that is now used by many on a daily basis.
“I wasn’t sure it would be used as much as it was, but it definitely was,” Blessing said. “Every day I saw people walking through, dropping something, picking something up, reading something on the bench. It was really fun to see how much use it got.”
Blessing updates the library’s Facebook page with new books available to take home and encourages people to leave a book if possible.
“If someone sees a book, they might want to come over and take it,” Blessing said.
The library has become so popular that the Blessing family is considering expanding the library to provide more books to people.
It is located on the corner of Bartlett Street and Broad Street.
