Little free libraries popping up in Dodge County

Little libraries are popping up in Dodge County and everyone is invited to use them.

The small, brightly painted little houses, which can hold approximately 30 books, are the result of a collaborative effort of Dodge Center Library Director Ingvild Herfindahl, the Friends of the Dodge Center Library, the Mantorville Art Guild and Triton High School shop classes.

Herfindahl wrote, and received, a SELCO Library Legacy Grant for the funds for the project, a Triton High School shop class built the little houses and members of the Mantorville Art Guild painted them.

They were on display at the Art Guild last week before being placed in locations in Claremont, Dodge Center and Mantorville.

One of the little libraries has already been set up in Claremont, Herfindahl said, and children were already at the location watching and asking questions during set-up. A second little library will be placed in Claremont this month and one will be located in Mantorville. Neither Claremont or Mantorville have libraries of their own.

Five little libraries will be placed in locations around Dodge Center.

There are already two little libraries in Mantorville, set up by the Art Guild in front of their studio.

The idea behind little libraries, Herfindahl said, is that one “takes a book, leaves a book.” The books are placed on private property and after they are set up it is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain in.

Individuals are invited to come and take a book and return it when they are done with it or replace it with another book.

The shop students at Triton constructed the little libraries and when they had finished the basic construction turned them over to the Art Guild.

Four Guild members, Theresa Hoaglund, Carla Webster, Gayle Dahl and Loretta Verbout, then set out painting the small houses.

There were no set designs or plans for the painting of the libraries, the artists said, with each coming up with their own ideas.

As the work progressed, each house began to take on the interests of the artists.

Gayle Dahl works with folk art and the exteriors of her houses have a folk art look to them.

Verbout explained she wanted to do “drip painting and splatters” on one of her houses. That