By Ellie Abraham
When Alison Berryman and her husband Adam moved into their Sycamore Canyon subdivision in Corona de Tucson in 2009, she thought it was wonderful. Friendly neighbors, perfect home and yard, great location. But there was one important aspect missing. — a library.
After mourning that lack, Allie (longtime and logical nickname) decided she was the one to correct it. She researched the possibilities and decided to approach the HOA officers and get their input. They were quite supportive and even said they would pay for the miniature building that could be ordered through the internet. Her husband constructed and installed the attractive post upon which the miniature box would sit on the edge of their front yard beside the neighborhood sidewalk which runs throughout the area.
Neighbors have been very responsive to the offerings and often even leave a book when they take one. They can return the borrowed book and exchange it for another. Allie does not mind if books are not returned as she has so many others. She also has a little jar that holds dog treats. She often finds herself in friendly conversations with book borrowers.
Always a lover of books, Allie put out a request for book contributions to her Little Free Library: children’s, young adult, and adult books, novels, self-help, westerns, biographies, and do‑it‑yourselfers. She was overwhelmed by the response from the neighborhood, although she has had to laugh at some of the offerings dropped off. She has several bookcases in their garage filled with boxes of donated books
All of these books should keep Little Free Library operating for a long time. However, Allie has bigger dreams and is making plans already. She would like a bookhouse twice as big, so she can offer a wider selection of titles and more variety for the book-starved area. If anyone is or knows of a woodworker who would like to construct a new, bigger bookhouse, leave a note in the bookhouse.
