C RY D E R
P O I N T
OCTOBER 12
Whitestone resident working on book
exchange at local park
BY JENNA BAGCAL
JBAGCAL@QNS.COM/ @JENNA_BAGCAL
One Whitestone resident wants to incorporate
reading and the great outdoors to give back to
his community.
Since July, Jonathan Salazar had been working with
local community groups and the New York City Parks
Department to bring a Little Free Library book exchange
to Francis Lewis Park — and now his plan is coming into
fruition.
Th e NYU student recalls the summer day when he
observed the scene at his local park and thought that it
would be “a great place to read a book.” He had heard
of the Little Free Library organization and knew that the
park was the perfect location to bring an outdoor library
to the community.
“I’ve been thinking of fun, meaningful ways to give
back to my community and I stumbled on this organization
called Little Free Library,” said Salazar. “Little Free
Library is a nonprofi t organization that inspires a love of
reading, builds community and sparks creativity by fostering
neighborhood book exchanges around the world.”
According to the organization’s website, there are currently
12 CRYDER POINT COURIER | OCTOBER 2018 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
75,000 Little Free Libraries set up in 88 countries
around the world. Th e libraries were created in 2009 by
Wisconsin-native Todd Bol. Th e one-room schoolhouse
shaped bookshelves were built as a tribute to his mother,
a schoolteacher who loved to read.
Salazar described the system for the library as one
where anyone can “take a book then return a book.” He
added that the books that are returned can be diff erent
from the ones that were taken off the shelves.
His plan for the Francis Lewis Park library is to build
two bookshelves that can house approximately 40 to 50
books each. Th e shelves will include a hook where patrons
can hook their dogs while browsing for something
to read and a motion sensor light for use at night. Th e
library will not have specifi c hours and will be open when
the park is open.
Alfredo Centola, president of the We Love Whitestone
Civic Association, said that Salazar approached him with
the idea a few months ago and described it as “an incredible
opportunity for the community, for members of all
diff erent age groups.”
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Salazar
In the meetings between Salazar and We Love Whitestone,
Centola said that the biggest issue that came up was
funding — it takes $1,000 to operate a Little Free Library.
He reached out to the community on behalf of the library
and said they received over $800 in donations on the association’s
website.
“Th e outpouring of support from the community is
always tremendous,” Centola said.
As the library’s steward, Salazar said that he plans
to visit the site every other week to ensure that there is
no vandalism and the operation is running smoothly.
If the necessary $1,000 of funding comes in, he aims
for the library to be up and running by the end of October
2018.
“Reading at a late age in my life has changed my mindset
and my ability to become the best version of myself
and I wanted to share that opportunity with kids, families
and adults in my community,” said Salazar.
To donate to the Little Free Library Fund, visit the
WeLoveWhitestone.com/donate and write “Little Library”
in the special instructions section.
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