SOUTH FORK — There is a new Little Free Library, a place to take a book or share a book, in South Fork.

The Stadtlers, new residents since September 2020, have erected a book depository at 419 Aspen Dr. in the Ponderosa subdivision. Little Free Library is a nonprofit group that fosters a love for reading and sparked a movement for individuals, businesses, schools and coffee shops to provide a box for a free book exchange.

Book sharing boxes provide 24/7 access to books, often in book deserts and underserved communities.

"For my birthday in February, I asked my son and husband to build a box for us to start a Little Free Library, and now that the ground has thawed, it’s been installed," Holly Stadtler said. "It’s registered online with the Little Free Library nonprofit so travelers, neighbors and anyone can search the website and take advantage of the free book exchange if they’re in the area. Website viewers can find a free library from the 100,000 worldwide in over 100 countries! We filled our box with 14 books to start with and have already received an additional book."

Depending on the size of the books, this box should hold about 30 books. People can add to the collection or take a book by dropping by the box that is by the road on Aspen Drive.

"Please make sure any additions will fit inside the box rather than leaving outside or around the post, so they aren’t damaged by weather," Stadtler said.

Currently, some of the books the Stadtlers have enjoyed in the library include "The Double Bind" by Chris Bohjalian, "Ireland" by Frank Delaney, "Dog Songs" a poetry collection by Mary Oliver, "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks, and "The Last Child" by John Hart, among others.

In the US, more than 36 million adults cannot read or write above a third-grade level, but studies show that books in the hands of children have a meaningful impact on improving literacy, Stadtler stated.

According to Little Free Library, two out of three children living in poverty have no books to call their own. A Little Free Library box that caters to children — established by Camp Chicka Chicka Boom Boom — can be found at Rickel Park on Park Drive in South Fork.

For more information about purchasing a box built by the Amish carpenters or learning how to build a box, or just more about where to find libraries, visit littlefreelibrary.organd type in zip code 81154 on this webpage https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/.