A Free Little Library in Vernon's East Hill neighbourhood (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Skye Martens

Student Submission

Little Free Libraries in Vernon: Small Structures with Big Impact

Mar 11, 2026 | 6:01 AM

Whether it be getting cozy with an interesting story or researching your favourite topic, books have always been an essential piece of entertainment and a mental tool.

The benefits of books should be accessible to everyone, and Vernon is contributing to this necessity.

Throughout Vernon, there are small book exchange boxes called Little Free Libraries. The Little Free Library system is a nonprofit organization that allows for anyone within any community to add to their network by building their own unique library exchange. These community hubs run on an honour system of taking a book for yourself, and leaving a book in its place for someone else to find. Choosing to support Little Free Libraries has benefits to the environment, the expansion of education, and the strength of Vernon’s community

Little Free Libraries have many advantages over other sourcing options, one of them being the hugely positive environmental impact. Approximately 320 million books annually are discarded into landfills, according to a 2012 study by The National Wildlife Federation. These libraries operate through donations of pre-loved books from any genre or condition, so by recycling your old books into new hands, it keeps them from being thrown away and gives them a second life.

Accessibility to physical books matters to keeping children and adults educated by fighting the decline in literacy throughout generations to come. By having simple 24/7 access to the books provided in Little Free Libraries, anyone at any stage of life can walk by and pick up a book of diverse variety. Selecting a story that you, your child, or any other passerby may not have heard of inspires readers to gain new perspectives that strengthen literary skills.

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Little Free Libraries are important to building engagement within the communities of Vernon. According to the Little Free Library website, “98 per cent of [their users] say their neighborhood feels like a friendlier place because of a Little Free Library.” By allowing for hands-on donation, these locally generous exchanges become an interactive experience between neighbours, fostering amicable connections in Vernon’s neighbourhoods.

These community structures are essential to promoting sustainability and reading proficiency, and access to them is only growing throughout Vernon as they are voluntarily operated. Instead of tossing your old books, no matter if they are a bit dusty, find a Little Free Library and donate them for someone locally to make use out of and enjoy next. And don’t just stop at leaving a book, take one too! Pick up a new book, one you’ve maybe never even heard about, and read it. Little Free Libraries are there for everyone from children to elderly to benefit from.

These community structures are essential to promoting sustainability and reading proficiency, and access to them is only growing throughout Vernon as they are voluntarily operated. Instead of tossing your old books, no matter if they are a bit dusty, find a Little Free Library and donate them for someone locally to make use out of and enjoy next. And don’t just stop at leaving a book, take one too! Pick up a new book, one you’ve maybe never even heard about, and read it. Little Free Libraries are there for everyone from children to elderly to benefit from.

Locations for Little Free Libraries in Vernon can be found on the Little Free Library website in the World Map locator option, with the exception of some separately owned libraries. Go out for a walk to enjoy the early spring, and you may come across one!

Editors Note: This story was submitted Skye Martens, a student at UBC Okanagan