Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health Launches Little Free Library

Pictured above: Beth Tennessen, Kaitlyn Sandstrom, Olivia Anderson, Brooklynn Barney, Kawhi Barney, Johnathan Heifner, Emilee Heifner, Rachel Steinberg, and Talia Miracle

We’re excited to celebrate the recent launch of a Little Free Library book-sharing box at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health in Duluth, Minnesota!

“The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health is the perfect home for the latest Indigenous library,” said Talia Miracle, Program Manager at Little Free Library. “Their staff is warm, welcoming and looking forward to sharing books with everyone in their community.”

The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health works in partnership with Indigenous communities to advance Indigenous well-being and health leadership to the highest level. Their Great Lakes Hub team currently partners with Ojibwe communities throughout the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada to address a range of public health topics, from substance use to type 2 diabetes.

By hosting an Indigenous Library at the office, the team will be helping to ensure that Indigenous readers of all ages have access to books that represent their culture, language, history, and communities. Additionally, the nature of the center’s collaborations means that they often have visitors at their office from Indigenous communities in other counties and states, allowing the library to have impacts even beyond Duluth.

The Indigenous Library Program aligns with the Center for Indigenous Health’s mission of advancing Indigenous well-being.

“We know that reading is good for children and families in so many ways,” the Center for Indigenous Health said in their grant application, “and we also know that representation, including in books, matters for mental health and wellbeing. This library will promote literacy, learning, and cultural connections in and beyond the Duluth community.”

Learn more about the Indigenous Library Program, and consider a donation to help put Little Free Libraries where they are needed most.