I'm going to start a Little Free Library on Guam

I wanted to title this “Starting Guam’s First Little Free Library *eMotiOnAl* *dRaMatIc*” but I fear the karma that comes with living a life of too much clickbait. ¹

I will not be starting Guam’s first Little Free Library. I think I am starting Guam’s second² Little Free Library. You know what they say about being the second person to do anything: “It’s usually better than being the first and often more people remember the second person to do something more than the first, amirite Buzz Aldrin?”³

In my research, I only found one Little Free Library on Guam. Here is where that is located: 257 Washington Drive, Mangilao, Guam.

I did go and visit this place but I didn’t find any Little Free Library on the side of the road. This address appears to be the University Gardens condos. I wasn’t too sure where the little free library was, however, since it didn’t seem like it was just along the side of the road. I emailed the email address attached, inquiring about it and also asking if the library steward would be willing to answer some questions for The Husk but I haven’t heard back.

What is a Little Free Library?

All across the world, there are elaborately constructed tiny homes for books where people can borrow a book or give a book for others to enjoy, free of charge.

Here’s an explainer from the Official Little Free Library website:

Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity through neighborhood book-sharing boxes.

A Little Free Library is a free book exchange. It belongs to everyone, and everyone can use it!

If you see something you would like to read, take it. When you’re finished, share it with a friend, bring it back here, or leave it in another Little Free Library.

littlefreelibrary

A post shared by @littlefreelibrary

There might be more Little Free Libraries on the island that aren’t on the LFL map. To put your little free library on the website’s map you have to register, which costs about $40. But even if you register, it’s still optional to put your library on the map.

People might have already built little free libraries on Guam without using the Little Free Library name, without registering with the LFL website or they opted not to add their library to the map and thus, are not on the map. So if there are any other little free libraries around Guam, please let me know!

Making a Little Free Library

I figured for this month on The Husk I will document my journey of starting a Little Free Library with a post every Wednesday. (Except this week obviously because it is now Thursday lol. Subscribe so you won’t miss next week’s update.)

I’ve already registered with Little Free Library and I’m waiting for the charter sign in the mail.

Here are my hopes for this project:

I hope that more people make little free libraries in their apartment complexes or coffee shops or neighborhoods so the children and/or any other avid reader can discover new-to-them books.

I hope the little free library I start isn’t vandalized, stolen, or the scene of a drug crime. ⁴ We will find out how the library fares once I find its public home later this month.

I realize we are still in a pandemic so some people might be hesitant to pick up an object from the street that other people might have previously touched. Totally understandable. So, a final hope: I hope people use it and I didn’t just go through all this to construct an elaborate, colorful chunk of sidewalk trash.

Some of you might recognize me as a carpentry master so you have no questions about how I will build this little free library.

And if you do, you are a liar because I just lied.

I have no woodworking or building or carpentry skills.

All I have are ideas, some time, and a disease diagnosed as A DIY Spirit, complicated by A Can-Do Attitude.

So I perused Pinterest and the Little Free Library website and found folks were reusing⁵ things like microwaves, phone booths, and newspaper dispensers as little libraries.

littlefreelibrary

A post shared by @littlefreelibrary

littlefreelibrary

A post shared by @littlefreelibrary

littlefreelibrary

A post shared by @littlefreelibrary

littlefreelibrary

A post shared by @littlefreelibrary

As much as I love the LFLs people had literally built, I knew I could not do that in the timeframe I had in mind. Plus I don’t have a yard to build things. Plus, I think it would be Very Cool™️ to reuse an appliance or a cooler or a newspaper dispenser instead of building something from scratch.

I settled on upcycling a mini-fridge like this one:

Source: littlefreelibrary.com

I watched videos and read some articles about using refrigerators as bookshelves and painting metal things that will be outdoors.⁶ I decided instead to use spray paint in all of its forms: primer, color, sealant. If the paint flakes or fades I figure it’s just another opportunity for me to paint it again.

I didn’t have a broken mini-fridge. So I did some lurking and managed to get one for free.

I lugged it into my apartment, greeting my husband who remained unfazed.⁷ We are proud owners of an inoperable mini-refrigerator.

This is me and my soon-to-be Little Free Library before her makeover. I’m ready to clean, sand, prime, and paint.

Yes, I did change into a pair of overalls which is known to be the universal uniform of all authority figures who paint appliances to make it appear as if I am an authority figure on painting appliances.

Now I just have to decide where to put it. More on that next week.

Thanks for reading. Write to you again soon.

Cheers,

Jasmine

1. David Dobrik we are looking at you.

2. (Allegedly)

3. /s

4. This is a desire I share with post masters worldwide, I assume.

5. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

6. Some of the resources I looked at include this video and the following blog posts

https://rehabdorks.com/2015/12/five-rules-for-painting-your-fridge/

https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/paint-a-fridge-retro-smeg-fridge

https://happygardens.com/pages/make-it-last-how-to-protect-and-preserve-your-garden-art

https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-how/painting/how-to-refinish-metal-furniture

7. Being married to me is enjoying a nice peaceful day sitting at the dining table and looking up to find me swinging open the front door, foaming at the mouth, yammering about an idea, with my arms full of plants I extracted from the sides of roads/inoperable mini refrigerators/vintage jackets/a massive palm frond I rescued from the landfill.