If you’ve been wondering what those red birdhouses springing up around Russellville are all about, Little Free Libraries are relatively small wooden structures that house the books in a safe dry place for our community to be able to use

The ceremony will help unveil the state-of-the-art book vending machines that will roll out over the Russellville Independent School District for students to use, according to Mindy Key, Outreach Coordinator with Russellville READs.

The first one was erected on West Ninth Street in Russellville between Winter Street and Rhea Boulevard/Winter Street. Jaime Saul at The Flying Pig Coffsee Shoppe on South Main near the Public Square is installing one, and Russellville Mayor Mark Stratton is putting some up on city property.

District Instructional Facilitator Sara Jennings says Russellville Reads! received a grant from Innovative Approaches to Literacy to encourage finding new ways to encourage reading in the community.

The grant was used to purchase 10 of the mini-libraries through the Kentucky Reading Association’s Three Rivers Chapter. The district then bought more of them.

The lending libraries hold approximately 10 books, depending on whether they have one shelf or two and the size of the books. Young readers are encouraged to take a book from one of the lending libraries and then return it to that location or another.

People who would like to donate books can bring them to the Russellville READs office, which is housed at the schools’ Central Office between East Sixth and Seventh streets. They will be checked to insure that they are age and subject appropriate.

Shown in the group picture with Superintendent Bart Flener are committee members, from left, Elizabeth Dye, Katy Whitford, Bethanie Hargett-Slack, Michele McCloughan, Sara Jennings, Mindy Key and Laura Thompson.