Will Little Free Libraries Be Going Away in Colorado?

Little free libraries in Colorado area are a treat: The brighten the neighborhoods that they're in and promote goodwill. Now comes a situation where it seems we can't have nice things.

Little free libraries run on the honor system: you can take a book for free or you can place a book in the library.

Maybe you have a book that you have loved, and want to share it with the world; bring it to one of these libraries. While doing so, you might see something that you'd like to read; it's a win-win.

However, with every good thing there comes someone that ruins that good thing. 9News has the story on how a little free library in Wheat Ridge got "pilfered" by someone. They came and just started taking all the books from the library.

The woman that owns/runs this particular library goes out of her way to keep books that she thinks people would appreciate in there. I think that's great; some of the books in these libraries can be pretty "boring." Maybe because of this woman's attention to her library that set it up to be "robbed."

Get our free mobile app

According to 9News, on one May day in 2024 all the books she had in her library (about 50) were taken at once, leaving the library completely empty. After notifying others about her library being emptied, another library owner chimed about her own library being emptied by one person.

RELATED: What is Colorado's Favorite Book by Dr. Suess?

It does bring up the argument that if all the books in a free little library are free to anyone, why can't one person just take them all?

If I leave a dresser and a nightstand out on the curb, one person can take both of the items and even sell them if they want, as I've given up possession of the items.

But, if people keep emptying these little libraries, whether they're going to read the books or sell the books, folks will just stop running their little library all together.

You can almost hear them, as they're dismantling everything, saying "we just can't have nice things."