Sunday, October 21, 2018

Little Free Library creator Todd Bol: R.I.P.

Do you have a Little Free Library in your neighborhood? in front of your house? down the road? If you do, you may not know who started this movement.

Sadly Todd Bol, the founder of the Little Free Library movement, died this past week from pancreatic cancer at the age of 62. Bol was a serial entrepreneur, founding companies that created nursing fellowships and a health care staffing company. But he was most famous for an inspiration that came after he lost his job in 2009. After setting up a home office for his next venture, he cut up a discarded garage door to build a model of a one-room schoolhouse in tribute to his teacher mother, who died in 2001. He set up the tiny library in his front yard and filled it with her books.

In May, 2010, he had a garage sale, but the bookcase — later to become the first Little Free Library — was the main attraction. Bol scrounged up more scrap materials and started building them in earnest, and sold one and gave away about 30 more the first year.

Read more on NPR News.

Post a photo of your Little Free Library in the comments below for a chance to win a package of mysteries for you and your Little Free Library.

1 comment:

Kathy Linn said...

What a great loss. I am so sad to hear this. He sure came up with a wonderful concept, and really made a difference in the world. Thanks, Todd. Condolences to all who loved you.