Little Free Libraries revive community reading, rekindle city’s love for books

Mysore/Mysuru: At a time when libraries are steadily fading from public life — overtaken by mobile phones and digital gadgets — one Mysurean has stepped forward with an inspiring initiative to revive the habit of reading and restore the culture of neighbourhood libraries.

Mysuru, long celebrated for its rich heritage, is home to the century-old City Central Library established by the visionary Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, along with several public libraries that today stand largely neglected.

With an aim to draw people back to libraries and rekindle the joy of reading, Mohammed Omar Ul Haq, a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, has launched ‘Little Free Libraries’ in the city.

The initiative has been supported by TASK Educational Charitable and Welfare Trust, founded by his father, Prof. S.M.M. Haq, retired Professor of Geography and former Principal of Sarada Vilas College. The project follows the global concept of “Take a Book, Leave a Book”, which is quickly gaining popularity among young readers in Mysuru.

2009 USA concept

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Mohammed Omar explained, “The concept began in 2009 in the USA with the late Todd Herbert Bol, who placed a wooden birdhouse filled with books outside his home. What started as a small idea has now grown into a worldwide movement spanning nearly 100 countries with more than 2,00,000 Little Free Libraries. I was involved briefly during my time in Leeds (UK), where we built these libraries as community projects and installed them in almost every neighbourhood.”

He added, “When I returned to Mysuru during a sabbatical, I discovered a very active local reading community. They were enthusiastic about the concept and eager to participate. That collective energy motivated us to create something similar here.”

Local talent to implement

The Little Free Libraries in Mysuru were designed and built by Vishal, a friend of Omar, along with volunteers. Local artists painted and decorated the little boxes to make them visually appealing and inviting to passersby. So far, the initiative has collected about 500 donated books and the small library boxes have been installed at three locations: Tina’s Café and Books and Brews at Gokulam and in front of Mohammed Omar’s residence, E&F Block, Kuvempunagar

 Omar noted that many residents have already expressed interest in hosting these libraries in their own neighbourhoods. “Since the project started only a few days ago, we want to observe how it functions over the next couple of months before expanding to more areas,” he said.

Each Little Free Library box also carries a QR code, allowing users to learn more about the global movement and access information on all Little Free Library locations in Mysuru.