New Little Free Library placed in Delhi

Vicky Klukkert, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

Mar. 26—There is a new Little Free Library in Delhi.

Members of the Delhi Rotary Club built and received permission from the village to place it in Cannon Memorial Park on the corner of Franklin and Main streets. The park was a gift to the village by the Cannon family, which also provided funds to build and operate the Cannon Free Library.

Rotary Secretary Tracey Hancock said the idea came from an event the club sponsored during the COVID-19 lockdown. "In 2020, our Rotary Club began a Summer Reading Challenge during lockdown that sparked our interest in promoting literacy," she said in an email. "We decided that a Little Free Library would be a welcome addition to downtown Delhi."

There is another Little Free Library in Delhi, on upper Main Street near the edge of the village.

The club decided to build the library. "My husband, Billy Hancock, had a wood shipping crate that he thought would make an excellent library," she said. "Members Douglas Holub and Vince Olechnowicz worked with Billy to design and build the library. A community volunteer, Crystal Francisco, also helped with the build."

While the library was being built, the club applied for and received an official charter from the Little Free Library organization. According to the Little Free Library website, there are 175,000 libraries in 121 countries and more than 400 million books have been shared.

The concept of the Little Free Library is simple. People can take or leave books in the library at any time during the day or night. The library in Delhi, which was installed March 14, has three shelves, which were full of adult and children's books Monday morning.

Hancock said Rotarian Janet Tweed, who is also a Delhi village trustee and a member of the Delhi Beautification Committee, helped find the location for the library.

"As it happened, while we were building the library, Delhi village had begun an upgrade of a small park on the corner of Franklin and Main streets, Cannon Memorial Park," Hancock said. "The village worked with the Delhi Beautification Committee to design the park, and there were meetings open to the community where improvements could be suggested. Rotary member Michael Tweed presented our plans for the Little Free Library and our project was chosen for the park. We love the location because it is easily visible from the road and accessible to anyone walking around the village."

The library will be open year-round. However, the sidewalk in the park is not maintained in the winter, a sign at the park's entrance said.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.