what’s next? … a conversation about a neighborhood

The Front Porch Library (SM)

The Front Porch Library is a small neighborhood children’s lending library that aims to increase children’s access to books, engage children as readers, and instill in families the value of books and libraries as critical resources to education and lifelong learning.

The Front Porch Library was established in 2008 when Adrian Fogelin began sharing books with several young neighbors. When the children expressed an interest in reading more, Adrian used her public library card to borrow books for the neighbors. Adrian realized that access to books was perhaps the biggest barrier to these children reading more. So, Adrian began collecting books on the neighborhood’s behalf. She identified a neighborhood location that could accommodate the growing collection, and The Front Porch Library was born. The library now has nearly 1,000 cataloged volumes, all of which have been donated.

Front Porch Library goals are:

• To make books available on an informal basis to young readers who don’t have easy access to a public library.
• To foster the habit of reading, and to create a forum for discussing and sharing books with children and parents.
  
• To teach basic care and handling of books, and the habit of borrowing and returning them to a common location.
  
• To foster a sense of ownership and pride in a common resource.

The Front Porch Library is a program of Seminole Manor Neighborhood Association, Inc.

Here are some pictures from our Grand Opening on June 13, 2009.

A great big THANK YOU to all who have supported The Front Porch Library, including:

Peachtree Publishers

FSU Circle K Internationa

Tedd Arnold

Adrian Fogelin

Josie Faass

Kary Kublin

Pam Dietrich

Karen Dietrich

Gloria Colvin

Sneed Collard

Marc Rosenthal

Paul Rosenthal

Maggie Rosenthal

Maya

Mimi Schroeder

Sami Lais

students of Dalton School (NY)

women of Trinity United Methodist (Tallahassee)

Cathleen Cartledge

Katherine Bowers

Norma Murphy

Dalton Middle School (GA)

Sally Barrios

Ray Faas