Burbank Girl Scout Troop 946 created and installed a Little Free Library (LFL) focused on diverse voices at Ovrom Park in early January for their Bronze Award. LFL is a nonprofit that helps communities build small libraries for the public on a take a book, leave a book basis to encourage reading in neighborhoods. They are becoming increasingly popular and many residents install them on their front lawns, public parks, and even along the Chandler Bike Path.
To complete their Bronze award, the seven girls needed to put in over 20 hours of service work on the project. Once they earned the money for the library through their cookie sales they researched how to built it, constructed and painted it themselves and then purchased the books to place inside. The girls also made artwork for bookmarks to help promote the new LFL as well as a Facebook page and website.
The library is dedicated to diverse voices and stories and the troop opened their LFL with books like Hair Love by Matthew Cherry, Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. “I think it’s important to have a LFL that promotes diverse voices because it’s incumbent on all of us to acknowledge systemic racism and to amplify voices that need to be heard,” said troop leader Heidi Miller. “Increasing access to these voices is a small but important step in this process.”
The troop chose Ovrom park for their LFL because they noticed there weren’t any in that neighborhood. You can visit the library at anytime to take a book or leave a book that continues the troop’s mission on accepting diversity. Ovrom park is located at 601 S San Fernando Blvd and you can follow their Facebook page to get updates on new books. https://m.facebook.com/Girl-Scout-Troop-946-Little-Free-Diversity-Library-100322505378061/?tsid=0.19394902092872757&source=result
