Recently, Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich was at West Meadow Beach to celebrate the early installation of the Little Free Library kiosk, hosted by the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket-East Setauket. It was installed early so that residents may enjoy reading the books on the beach during the spring and summer. The Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach has been a welcoming sign since 2016 that summer is just around the corner. This year, the library staff built a new structure from recyclable materials because the original had seen better days. The sides of the new “Little Free Library” were assembled from end caps of previous library shelving units and the legs were made from an old library chair. Pictured left to right are Lisa DeVerna, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library Manager of Marketing & Communications; Emily Ostrander, Head Teen Services Librarian; Jennifer Mullen, Librarian; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Ted Gutmann, Library Director; and Town of Brookhaven Environmental Educator Nicole Pocchiare.
“I was happy to take part in the installation of the Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach again this year,” remarked Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich. “The dedication of the Emma Clark Library to provide access to books and knowledge for the community, especially younger readers, is truly commendable. I see the positive impact this resource has on the residents of our town. Thank you to all involved for continuing this project for nine consecutive years.”
The “Take a Book or Leave a Book” kiosk is located under the pavilion at West Meadow Beach. Visitors are encouraged to take a book and/or donate one. The books are all donated by the public and cater to all ages. The little library is possible thanks in part to many generous booklovers and Emma Clark Library teen volunteers who “adopt” the Little Free Library each week to ensure that it is neat, undamaged, and well-stocked. The books are not curated or owned by the Emma Clark Library, so they are not to be returned there. Any visitor to the beach can take a book or leave a book. You don’t have to be a Three Village resident.
Little Free Libraries have become an international phenomenon since their inception in 2010 and established in Wisconsin as a nonprofit organization in 2012. According to the official Little Free Library website, there are over 150,000 registered book-sharing boxes across the United States and in 120 countries worldwide. Emma Clark’s Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach is registered on www.littlefreelibrary.org and can be found on the site’s official map of all Little Free Libraries.
Located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library provides public library service to residents of the Three Village Central School District. To contact the library, call 631-941-4080 or email askus@emmaclark.org.
CREDIT: Town of Brookhaven