Donning protective eyewear and wielding a drill, high school English teacher Juliana Maye was channeling her inner carpenter. Surrounded by members of the school’s Reading club and Literary Magazine club, Maye, an advisor to both, was helping assemble a “Little Free Library.” The wooden, free-standing cupboard will ultimately be placed on the high school’s grounds to promote reading in the community.

There are 125,000 Little Free Libraries around the world, providing an easy way for people to access books. People can take or leave a book, and the books are always free. The goal is to encourage more reading within local communities. The HHHS project coincides with March 2 being Read Across America Day and March being recognized as National Reading Month.

Senior Lexi Schaffer, co-president of the Reading club and editor-in-chief of the Literary Magazine club, said that Little Free Libraries help “make reading accessible and convenient for everyone.”

Reading club co-president and fellow senior Katelyn Krupa said that the high school’s Little Free Library will be “a great way for the community to get involved and allow people to share books that they love.”

After the students paint the cabinet, the district’s facilities staff will help them install it somewhere on campus. A number of spots are currently being considered.

“Our Little Free Library will be accessible to young adult and teen readers,” said Maye, adding that books may be shared, donated, and borrowed by anyone, not only Hen Hud students. “It is a wonderful way to build a sense of community through reading.”