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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday Ashland event will help people prepare for emergencies 10 things to know for Thursday Calendar: Thursday, Oct. 9 10 things to know for Wednesday Education Building + cooking + eating = learning Students to 'Read More For Jack Dorr' Budget committee members needed Fighting back against hackers SOU wants its students to love Ashland Environment Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Annual tour shows how to live green Taking action here, now on global climate change Garden serves up a feast fit for monarchs Business Ashland land use rule review continues From 'drug house' to spa Universal Rites Tattoo Greg Zyla: 1959 430 V-8 Thunderbird owner seeks information Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow Politics and elections Ashland land use rule review continues Council backs bump in tax to support buses Travel expert touts pot legalization Videos of local candidate forums airing now on TV Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home State News Nation - World Obituaries Elizabeth Anne Jones Death Notices Lester "Les" Nugent No farewells were spoken Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Raiders blank Mountaineers, inch over .500 in league play Guthrie returns to Baltimore with history in the air Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive Balanced Grizzlies shred Comets in MWL blowout It ain't over 'til it's over in the Pac-12 High school Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive Balanced Grizzlies shred Comets in MWL blowout SOU volleyball team up to No. 11 Grizzlies keep rolling in MWL opener Pitcher Guthrie's donation boosts new field fund Southern Oregon University Raiders blank Mountaineers, inch over .500 in league play Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive It ain't over 'til it's over in the Pac-12 SOU volleyball team up to No. 11 SOU offense looks to catch up with defense in final home stand Opinion Latest Stories Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 City should revise its rules for murals Granlund cartoon: Carter faults Obama on ISIS Jim Brock: Whose fault is it, anyway? Granlund cartoon: Quiet Atlantic hurricane season Editorial Our View: A delicate balance downtown Our View: Great public effort makes for great public space Our View: Our View SOU control shifts downstate Our view: SOU reaches out to downtown Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 6 Guest opinions City should revise its rules for murals Into the heart of darkness Herb Rothschild: Peace begins at the table City still ignores Plaza suggestions Us versus them Revels Latest Stories Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Works in progress (No heading) Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity 'Gone Girl' is a dark, twisting winner Theater Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Southern Oregon hosts its Lunacy Theatre Festival Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Q&A: Band du Pays Swing The Farr Side: Bennett-Gaga collaboration is a cross-generational gem Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Q&A: Nacosta Muscian's career spins back through Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: ‘The Judge’ doesn’t know when to end Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Gone Girl' is a dark, twisting winner Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Dr. Murray Feingold: Take precautions to prevent home accidents Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 4 of 7 Looking Up: See the Great Baseball Diamond Health Watch: Make TV time workout time Barry Lewis: Where are my glasses? Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW City should revise its rules for murals ... Our View: A delicate balance downtown ... Into the heart of darkness ... City should revise its rules for murals ... Our View: A delicate balance downtown ... Into the heart of darkness ... NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE 'Little Free Libraries' pop up in Ashland Mini-lending posts also established in Talent, Phoenix By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 4:39 pm Updated Oct 8, 2014 at 4:40 PM By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 4:39 pm Updated Oct 8, 2014 at 4:40 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Library's 'shelfies' put witty twist on social media photos • Bookless library? » Social News You know those little boxes full of free books, mounted on poles in front of people’s houses? Well, they’re getting more popular — and for good reasons. They’re not just good for promoting literacy. These boxes, called Little Free Libraries, started in Wisconsin in 2009, are turning out to be community builders, places where people are linger and have conversations with their neighbors. The founders goal was to build 2,510 Little Free Libraries — as many as Andrew Carnegie built — by 2014. The goal was reached in 2012 and in January the count hit 15,000. Two have sprouted in Ashland. One on Laurel Street is the work of historian George Kramer and his wife, Joyce Van Anne, where, he reports, “It’s nice to come home and find a mom and her kids leafing through books and talking with others, then leaving a few books.” Kramer read about them, learned there weren't any in Ashland, went to littlefreelibrary.org , got the plans for hammering one together and created it. “My wife said ‘if you build it, I’ll keep it full of books,’” said Kramer. She has. They went out and bought $25 worth of books to get it started and, since then, users have followed the LFL motto, “Take a book, return a book.” Kramer adds, “The good of them is to help people be literate, read books and keep books out of landfills.” A booth at last Saturday’s Talent Harvest Festival promoted LFL, showing photos of six new ones in Talent and Phoenix, all on public property, in keeping with the guidelines of the funding agencies, Ford Family Foundation and Rural Development Initiative . “It’s important to have a community that reads. We make better decisions when we understand the importance of knowledge. It’s a fundamental activity we all need to do,” said Phoenix City Manager Steve Dahl, who will oversee the creation of a LFL in front of city hall. In Talent, they will go up at Chuck Roberts Park, Talent Community Center and Talent Elementary School. “We love them. It’s such a neat idea,” said author Sandra Duncan of Talent. “We’re always interested in reading a new book and we want to share them with other people. Books are one of my passions.” Sandra Davis erected a LFL in front of her Nevada Street home in Ashland, with other families donating the wood, glass, roofing, labor and painting on the side — images of hyacinths, which grow in beds around it. “It’s a really wonderful thing,” she says. “If you register it (with the national organization) you get a sticker with a charter number and they put you on their map. I really like the idea of people reading real books. It’s different than reading e-books. “Moms with strollers and kids from Helman School (three blocks away) come by and get books. There are lots of children’s books in here. It’s a community-building thing. I’ve met so many neighbors here and we talk about books. One mom said it’s magical and she loves to come here with her small son.” Pulling up in her car, Kelly Gelino said, “I’m surprised at the quality of books here and it’s a real ‘pay it forward’ kind of thing.” Her son Noah Aguilar dropped off a book, noting his favorite from the box was “Hunger Games.”  The idea has been so successful, notes Davis, that now neighbors are talking about putting up Little Free boxes that hold plants, seeds and other items having to do with raising food gardens. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 4:39 pm Updated Oct 8, 2014 at 4:40 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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