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Lisa Stringfellow
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building the little free kidlit library

4/18/2021

 
Little Free Kidlit Library
Update (7/5/22): My book cover shingles sadly did not survive the New England winter. I've refinished my roof with weatherproof vinyl stickers and it looks amazing! Check back for a link to the NEW process post soon.

The pandemic has taken a lot from us and one of the ways I did self-care was to work on my Little Free Library project. I posted last year my reasons for wanting one and why I decided to make it focused on BIPOC authors and illustrators of children's literature. Now it is 2021 and the library is close to being ready! I wanted to give an update on the process I used to build this library.
I started with a library I purchased through Etsy from the seller WalltoWallWoodworks. When the library arrived, it was a blank canvas! I painted it with a white exterior primer to start.
Library front - plain
Library slide - plain
Library back - plain
Library front open - plain
Library front - primer
Library side - primer
I went through a few color ideas, initially adding some rainbow colors like purple, blue, and orange, but settled on putting the interest in the shingles and the inside, and painting the library a light gray with black trim.

For the inside, I chose a wallpaper from Spoonflower created by Black designer @AshleySummerDesign. It has a nice durable texture and inspires thoughts of solidarity and support for Black Lives Matter and BIPOC people.
Black Lives Matter wallpaper
Speaking of the shingles, here is the process I used. I bought 2x3 craft wood pieces and used my Photoshop skills to size the book covers I selected to that size. I had the sheets laser printed at my local Staples. I then painted the wood on both sides with an exterior black paint to make sure that it would be protected from the elements.
Shingles - plain
Shingles and paper book covers
Shingles painted black
Afterwards, I got to cutting and glueing. I glued each cover on a piece of wood using Mod Podge and then painted the paper with the glue a few more times, being careful to cover the edges of the wood. It looked great when done, but I knew I'd need more protection as Modge Podge, even the outdoor formula, isn't completely waterproof.
Book cover shingles
Book cover shingles
Book cover shingles
Book cover shingles - Lucky Broken Girl
Book cover shingles - Genesis Begins Again
Book cover shingles - Black Girl Books
I decided on which books I wanted to be on the front and which on the back. It was heartbreaking to have a few leftover that I had to leave off all together. I tried to alternate colors, lights and dark, and taped each row to the library first with painter's tape. After they were placed, I securely glued each down with Gorilla Glue. For the edges, on each row I had to cut one cover in half, but I used the other half on the back side of the library. On the subsequent rows, I alternated the placement to get a staggered effect. 
Shingles taped to roof
Lastly, I decided that applying an epoxy resin would be the most sure way to ensure the shingles were waterproof and it would also add a glossy shine to them. I used a self-leveling craft epoxy and with the library tilted so the front or back would be parallel to the floor. Epoxy takes 24 hours to set and 72 hours to cure. I did each half of the roof separately, then sanded the entire thing to roughen the surface, then re-applied a second coat of epoxy. It's not perfect, but it looks good overall and the inconsistencies are hardly noticeable.

Here's a tour of the final results! It's been almost a whole year of work, but I'm very excited for it to launch soon. More details on that to come!
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A post shared by Little Free Kidlit Library (@littlefreekidlitlibrary)

how can you help?

For those that would like to support the work of this library, I have started a registry at my local Black-owned bookstore, Frugal Bookstore. You can select a book from the wishlist or choose another children's book from a BIPOC creator and I will be able to pick it up locally. Thanks so much for your support!

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