Local vision to bring ‘Take a book. Share a book.’ to community

By Matthew Johnson

Reporter

Wolf Lake area book lovers, and anyone passing through Wolf Lake, should soon be able to check out the honor system within the “Little Free Library,” which is “Take a book. Share a book.”

A number of people have enjoyed Little Free Libraries (LFLs) all over the world, including in this area, since the first one was installed in Hudson, Wis., in 2009. LFLs are small, free-standing boxes filled with books for anyone to take, borrow and return at their leisure. Isabelle Aho, a 2025 Menahga High School (MHS) graduate who has grown up in Wolf Lake, has taken notes on other area communities that have LFLs and has wanted to pursue one for Wolf Lake for a long time.

“I’m definitely excited to see how it all plays out,” said Aho who indicated that one should be installed somewhere in Wolf Lake this spring or summer.

She recently put the wheels of her longtime vision in motion and asked her friend, Katie Lake, who serves on the Wolf Lake City Council, to seek the city’s blessing for installation of a LFL in the community. Lake brought the item to the table in October and the council signaled its initial support for the project.

The project, in addition to garnering support from the local council, has gained more support from others in the local area, as well. One group now partnering with them on this project is the Wolf Lake Community Hall Committee, which is officially called the Wolf Lake Community Club.

Instructions on how to register a new LFL can be found on the littlefreelibrary.org website. The site states that there are more than 200,000 registered, volunteer-led LFLs worldwide including in all 50 states, 128 countries and all seven continents. That includes over 400 million books that have been shared by thousands of neighbors.

Aho and Lake say there are a number of reasons to install a LFL in Wolf Lake. Just a few of those reasons include making books easily available for self-serve access, an economical way to support reading education for youth and all individuals in the community and providing yet another asset that not only benefits the community but others visiting including tourists who come to the Wolf Lake Waterfront Park & Campground.

All those involved in the project are reviewing the various options for acquiring the physical structure for Wolf Lake’s LFL. One option is for one or more local volunteers to make it. Anyone interested in helping to make Wolf Lake’s LFL or donate to the project can reach out through the following email address: wolflakecommunityhall@gmail.com. 

Another option is to order one through the LFL online store on the website. A location in Wolf Lake for the LFL is also in the process of being selected.

All LFLs, which legally use the LFL-trademarked name, are registered as part of the LFL worldwide network and must have an official LFL charter sign, which has a one-time cost of about $50, and charter number on the library. A worldwide LFL map is also available on the website to locate LFLs wherever they are in the world. Watch for any update on this project in the Review Messenger this spring or summer.

Aho graduated with an associate’s degree from M-State Wadena when she graduated from MHS last spring. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU).