Patrick Hester by one of the Little Libraries built for his Eagle Scout project
If you’re a Boy Scout or Girl Scout looking to build a Little Free Library (perhaps for your Gold Award or Eagle Scout Project?), then this post is for you! In 2014, Patrick Hester, a Boy Scout in northern Indianapolis, decided to build and install four Little Free Libraries for his Eagle Scout project.
We spoke with his father and troop leader, Jim Hester, about the exact strategies that Patrick used to raise funds, organize and hold a Little Library build day, find locations and get permission to install each Little Library around Indianapolis.
Raising Funds to Buy A Library Building Kit
Patrick decided to buy the Neighborhood Building Party Kit from Little Free Library, which is about $950 for four Library kits, plus S&H which is about $250 for a total of around $1,200. (Update: the Neighborhood Building Party Kit has been discontinued, but Little Free Library offers similar kits like the Amish Shed Kit.)
To raise enough money to purchase the kit, Patrick used two main strategies:
Figuring Out Where to Place Each Library
In addition to raising funds to purchase a Neighborhood Building Party Kit, Patrick needed to find good locations to put up each of his four Little Libraries after they were built. Here is how he went about it, according to Jim.
Note: If you want to put a Library on public land managed by the city government, you will probably have lots of expensive hoops to jump through, especially if you live in a bigger city. We recommend avoiding this problem by placing Little Libraries on private property owned by individuals or private organizations. Parks Departments tend to be friendly to the idea, too!
Patrick’s budget for his Eagle Scout project
Building Four Little Free Libraries
Next up, the fun part! Organizing a build day and assembling four Little Free Libraries from the Neighborhood Building Party Kit.
“The Kit is great for a build day for your Scout troop and friends as each of the four Libraries goes together the exact same way, so leading the project is easy,” reported Jim.
“We simply set up four tables, one per Library, and had three or four boys at each table. You just need glue, screwdrivers and hammers to assemble each one. I think we spent about three or four hours putting the Libraries together.”
Jim also pointed out that you will want to consider how you are going to install each of your Little Libraries. We have recommended installation instructions which show you how to use a 4×4″ wooden post as the base and then create a wooden platform for the top of the post, which is where you attach the Library. The wooden post, lumber and hardware you will need to follow these instructions usually costs around $30.
Advice for Other Scouts
We asked Jim if he had any advice for Scouts looking to build one or more Little Libraries, and here is what he shared:
Click here for free Little Free Library building plans
Click here to learn more about starting your own Little Free Library