Residents of Valley View now have their own little library right on their doorstep.
Caramia Perks (52) thought of the idea of a little communal library in their estate where residents can read and swap books among each other. “We installed the two libraries just before the June school holidays. One for adults and a second shorter one for the kids. It also has space for some DVDs if some kids want to watch something during the holiday,” she explained, stating that the only rule to use the library is to always leave a book behind when taking one from the library.
She added that this project was part of two initiatives Valley View residents benefited from this year – the first one being signs around the complex reminding motorists to drive slow as kids are playing.
“Once I had the idea, Paul Harper, my neighbour, volunteered to make the two little libraries and Bill Pembroke, another neighbour, installed them next to my gate,” explained Perks as she pointed at the two house-shaped boxes with a glass screen door and a bounty of books inside.
“What motivated me to create these little libraries was something that my office at work strives for in our everyday lives. To make people healthier and enhance and protect their lives. So with the books I hope to give the children in our community a chance to fall in love with reading, and to understand the endless possibilities readers have when opening a book.”
She added that kids these days all have TVs or laptops or cellphones and many don’t read, or respect the books they are given.
“I hope this project will encourage kids to broaden their horizons and get them interested in reading more books. This was also a nice way to get residents in our community to chat to each other and share interests,” she chuckled, adding that since posting about their little library many other residents in and around the area loved the idea and wanted to replicate it in their neighbourhoods.
