Village Cracks Down on Little Free Libraries
Whitefish Bay is the first governmental body in the nation to restrict the popular book depots from residents' front yards – although they are still allowed on porches and back yards.
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The Little Free Libraries that have been heralded around the world for promoting literacy and cultivating a sense of community by sharing books with neighbors have come under restrictions in Whitefish Bay.
The Village Board decided to enforce the existing village code and ban Little Free Libraries from front yards across the village – not out of a hatred of literacy – but because mailboxes and other structures are not allowed in the front yards of Whitefish Bay homes.
With more than 4,000 to 5,000 Little Free Libraries erected in 34 countries, Whitefish Bay is the first municipality to restrict the structures, according to Rick Brooks from the national Little Free Library organization.
The board's discussion about Little Free Libraries began in September, when the village learned that Christ Church had erected a Little Free Library in front of its meditation garden in late July. After receiving another, separate request to build a Little Free Library, Paul Launer, the village's building inspector, brought the issue before the Village Board, asking whether the village should allow the structures, not allow the structures or attempt to regulate them.
At the time, Launer said he had concerns that multiple Little Free Libraries would start sprouting up on each block, that they would grow to increasingly larger sizes or become obnoxious in their design.
The Village Board directed Launer to sketch up some rough dimensions to incorporate in the village code, but the process of regulating the structures led to even more questions, such as what can go inside of the Little Free Libraries.
"There seems to be no end to the silliness that we think of where these things can go," Village Manager Patrick DeGrave said at Monday night's Village Board meeting. "Not just in the size, shape, color or oddities, but what can go in there? You're not going to regulate what goes inside."
If offensive materials or propaganda end up in the Little Free Libraries, then the village could find itself facing a lawsuit for freedom of expression, said Village Manager Patrick DeGrave.
Trustee Richard Foster argued the Village Board shouldn't even be discussing Little Free Libraries.
"I don't think we should deal with this until it becomes a problem," he said. "Not every problem requires a government solution."
As it stands, Christ Church's Little Free Library is out of compliance with the village code, so the village runs the risk of perceived favoritism by allowing the church's structure and not others, Village Attorney Chris Jaekels said.
"It starts to look like selective prosecution," Jaekels said.
"Selective prosecution is the name of the game," Foster countered, arguing jaywalking is not aggressively enforced.
Brooks said he has not heard of any Little Free Libraries being subject to these kinds of regulations. In the rare case where public officials have raised concerns about safety, maintenance and liability, Brooks said the Little Free Library organization has been able to work with public officials.
"As Little Free Library builders get more creative, some of the Libraries may seem more like sculpture or actual buildings that are subject to regulations that prohibit them. So far, that has not been the case," he said. "The Little Libraries have been noted positively by Realtors and homebuyers as assets to neighborhoods that positively influenced decisions about living there."
There are at least two Little Free Libraries in Shorewood, another at Kletzsch Park in Glendale, and in Bayside, at Ellsworth Park and the Village Hall parking lot. Those villages have not addressed Little Free Libraries.
After discussing possible regulations, the Whitefish Bay trustees decided to ban the structures outright.
"I think it's silly to have to come up with parameters," said Trustee Jay Miller. "We just don't need this."
Trustee Jim Roemer agreed, saying "it's a hornet's nest for village staff to deal with."
Miller and the rest of the trustees were reluctant to tell the church to take down their structure, but they decided to do so in the name of fairness.
Rev. Seth Dietrich, the rector at Christ Church, said he does not want to be out of compliance with the village's ordinances, so he will relocate the structure to be closer to the doors or the stairway. Because it would be on or adjacent to an existing structure, it would come into compliance with the village code.
The books at Christ Church's Little Free Library were specifically selected for spiritual exploration and growth, including literature from Jewish and Buddhist authors, Dietrich said.
"We really wanted this to be a resource for people to explore a variety of spiritual books," he said. "We intentionally stayed away from using it to self-promote our church."
Dannette Lank also felt bad about the loss of the church's Little Free Library because she brought the issue to the village's attention in the first place. She and her husband intended to build a Little Free Library at their Sylvan Avenue home as an anniversary gift, and asked the village for permission before moving forward.
"I want to apologize to the church because they are now losing something just because I decided to ask for permission," Lank said.
(This article was updated at 8:30 p.m., Nov. 11 to include comments from Rick Brooks of the Little Free Library organization.)
A WFB Resident
3:44 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
So are we going to enforce this code on the free boxes up and down silver spring?
Bob McBride
3:45 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Well it does kind of make sense. It starts with little libraries, then it's little police departments and little fire departments and little DPWs and before you know it we're putting public employees out of work.
Kathleen Andersen-Paslaski
3:56 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Ummmm- what exactly r u talking about Bob? Have u even seen a little free library ? It's a box. I can assure u no one has lost a job over it.
As a former WFB Board of Appeals member I remind our community that we can control the scope and size by requiring a permit and/or special exception.
My children and I love the little free library at Christ Church bit us lovely, tasteful, and promotes literacy and community sharing. All values I pertinently attribute to WFB.
Bob McBride
4:06 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Yes, I've seen little libraries. Did that seem like a serious comment to you?
Were you at any of the Village Board meetings where the issue was discussed?
Lisa Bruce
9:29 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Bob, I knew your comment was tongue in cheek and appreciated the appropriate sarcasm. Whitefish Bay, could you show yourself to be any less progressive in your thinking???
Bob McBride
12:43 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
I honestly don't care if it's progressive or regressive. Unless it becomes a "Battle of the Biggest Little Libraries", I don't think it threatens the overall ambience of WFB in any more negative way than does having revolving doors on a good percentage of the retail spaces on Silver Spring or "Pumpkins Gone Wild" on Halloween. Now, if they want to say you can't nail a cardboard box covered with stretch wrap to a picket fence and call it a "Little Free Library", i can understand that. But to just poo-poo the whole thing for fear of G-d knows what (somebody's going to put their vintage collection of Penthouse magazines in one, perhaps?) seems to be overkill.
dadgum
4:16 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
The fact that this was even up for debate by the village board is ridiculous. Who could possibly be against literacy, sharing, etc.? It makes me embarrassed to say I live in WFB.
Lori Morse
9:14 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Agreed !
Any recourse for us, as residents ?
A WFB Resident
11:57 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
agree
Bob McBride
4:32 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
This is why it pays to keep an eye on the agendas for the Village Board of Trustees meetings on Monday nights. If you aren't there it's hard to get your say in on the matter when it counts.
TONI MCBRIDE
6:26 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
You are right about that,, shoulda read the agenda. I like the LIbrary at Christ Church. Use it alot, put books in there frequently. Use the public library too. I always thought the free little libraries added a 'little' quaintness to the hood. Guess not to everyone. Hope the church can relocate it, and others pop up. I was thinking about putting one on my corner, God forbid, something so outrageous!
Chris Anderson
6:40 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
This is absurd.
Email your Trustees:
TrusteeRoemer@wfbvillage.org
TrusteeMiller@wfbvillage.org
TrusteeFoster@wfbvillage.org
TrusteeSzumski@wfbvillage.org
TrusteeRollings@wfbvillage.org
acculang@wi.rr.com (Trustee Davis)
PresidentSiegel@wfbvillage.org
Go Dukes
7:16 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Dittos to Bob M. It has been quite some time since I attended a Board of Trustees mtg. The last one I attended, the new "Friendship Circle" was up for a vote. Many of the people that attended were not in favor of having this constructed at Big Bay Park. They went in front of the board, gave their name/address (for the record), and "voiced" their position. The next hard copy of the meeting minutes that I picked up at Village Hall did not have any of these individuals listed that were against the "Friendship Circle". What's up with that? Favoritism at its finest? I'll have to start going again, but based on my last experience, I'm not sure it matters.
Bob McBride
8:00 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
So what if you put one of these things on wheels, chained it to some sort of anchor in the ground (or not, if you think it won't get stolen) and rolled it into the yard and back at night or once a week or some such so that it wasn't a permanent fixture? Technically it doesn't fall into the category of a structure at that point, I don't think.
Gordon E Lang
8:31 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
As of now I have no opinion on if the Little Free Libraries should be allowed. The attached link is from the just published "On Wisconsin" from UW Madison on this subject.
Link: http://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/features/its-a-mailbox-its-a-bird-house-no-wait-its-a-library/
Michelle JC
7:20 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Welcome to the wonderful village of WFB. Let me go and grab my Ugg boots and my NorthFace jacket and get into my Mercedes SUV. Then maybe someone will listen to me. How about talking about some real issues instead of silly codes that don't allow "structures" to be built in our front yards. Hello people. Have you walked around the Bay lately pushing your $400 strollers. There are small play houses etc. everywhere you look. No difference as far as structure goes. How about we worry more about our kids, drugs, education etc. then something as silly as this. We might as well call WFB a gated community and get the fences up. REDICULOUS!
Chris Anderson
9:09 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Anything that is secured to the ground is deemed "permanent" .. so most play houses aren't permanent, and therefore allowed.
There's also a difference between front yard and back.
Phil
9:09 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
totally agree with you Michelle.
WFB is a collection of over-educated snobs that have made it on mommy and daddy's inheritance. Everyone wants to be more right that everyone else........'my destination is more important than your destination'
Cricket
6:17 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Epic fail on this one WFB - leave the little libraries alone.
Nancy Morris
7:34 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Readers who are concerned about government reaching into our business might want to consider the effects of small town regulations on our daily lives.
wfb51
9:09 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
They did the right thing. I wouldn't want one outside my window...
Ummmm - and as for who wouldn't want free books - last time I checked we have a rather nice library.
Cricket
6:17 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Unless it is in your yard it is not outside your window. It's a charming idea.
David
9:09 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
This is embarrassing. Maybe the board would allow if WFB were able to assess the structures at 20K and generate additional tax revenue? This is one of the reasons we do not like living in WFB.
Michelle JC
9:29 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
So Chris, you would rather see a bunch of Playskool plastic kids toys, IE: playhouses, pools, slides etc. scattered around someone's "front" yard, then have a cute little library house next door. I understand that it is your property but seriously, if people in this village can pick and choose what we put in our back and front yards, they should be living out in the country. WFB is a family community with one of the best school systems in the country. Let our kids be kids as long as they arent being destructive and do what we can to help with their education and learning good morals and values.
Chris Anderson
3:48 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Michelle - I didn't say that. I simply explained how each structure is treated under the law.
To address your statement, though .. I would indeed rather see the libraries than children's miscellany in front yards, but frankly, there are about a dozen homes on my block with kids, and none of them have "playhouses, pools, slides" in their front yard .. so I'd say that's not much of an issue anyhow.
Bob McBride
6:17 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Just FYI, if you go early enough to tonights meeting, I believe you can request speaking time on subjects not necessarily on the agenda. They ordinarily will limit the number of people they allow to speak in that fashion, but perhaps if one or two supporters of these went, you could persuade them to take a second look at it...
Amy
9:36 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Another sad day in WFB. This community is not for me.
Bob McBride
9:36 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Assuming it might be possible to get the board to revisit the topic, how about something like this:
Those in favor of the "Little Free Libraries" come up with version that isn't a structure, per say. The definition of what constitutes a structure should be available from the Village. Upon agreeing upon something that's attractive and meets that criteria, make that the only acceptable version of a "Little Free Library" within the Village.
There are 12 voting wards in the village. From those could be created 4 groups of 3 contiguous wards. Limit the number of "Little Free Libraries" to 1 per ward grouping, or a maximum of 4 for the entire Village. Within each grouping, those interested in participating could enter their name/address. A drawing is held to see who gets to host the "Little Free Library". If desired, a specific period of time could be determined over which the hosting home agrees to host and maintain the library. In the event the host moves within that period of time, another drawing of names occurs.
As for the content held within the library, guidelines used by the Public Library for content available to underage readers would be a good place to start.
If you folks truly want these things, it's going to be up to you to take the initiative and come up with a plan of some sort that you can sell to the board. It would help to have a plan in place before requesting the issue be revisited.
kindness first
3:01 pm on Thursday, November 15, 2012
I live in Minneapolis, and am utterly DELIGHTED each time one of these boxes pops up in a yard. I've never seen a tacky one yet, and while I LOVE the library, these are different. No better, but serving another purpose. It's the element of meeting and sharing with neighbors and passersby, and the element of generosity and trust and joy. Frankly, I can't believe this is an issue. It's like outlawing flags, or greasespots in driveways, or what sorts of flowers people can plant. I'm making a note not to visit WFB again. If I'm driving through, I'll make sure to bring my own reading material, and not bother anyone by smiling. (OK that was crabby, but come ON, people. If you have time to quibble over this, you need to do some volunteering.)
kindness first
3:01 pm on Thursday, November 15, 2012
P.s. I'm going to build one this winter with my 88 year old father. Luckily he lives in Northfield, where I think sharing books is legal.
tom sheramn
3:32 pm on Friday, November 16, 2012
we have a big library. information is everywhere on the inet etc. therefore what exactly is the benefit of a little library. the board was exactly right
Silvia Gutierrez
1:01 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I found this article because I am a librarian in California. I do support the banning of Little Libraries based on the regulating of structures in front yards. In Gardena where I live, residents have the most unsightly structures on their front lawns. Swingsets, storage sheds, canopies, church pews(!), etc. Unfortunately, I would rather see a ban all on all structures than let a governing body decide case by case.
CowDung
1:08 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
You are obviously afraid of your library losing customers. Can't you stand a 'little' competition?
Kathleen Andersen-Paslaski
8:29 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I like Bob's idea of limited the libraries - but couldn't we simplify all this by making them require a building permit? Heads up to neighbors who may take issue - and allow the village to approve the actual structure? (fyi- I take offense to the "snob" comment - I have lived in the Bay for over 14 years and the women I know may wear dessigner clothes, may drive foreign cars, but are amongst the MOST commtted moms at every school, church and local function. One of the main reasons our children excel in our schools and the reason we have chosen to stay in WFB.)
Michelle JC
9:06 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Snobs can still be commited to their children, their church and their schools. Stand outside one of the middle schools to pick up a child some afternoon. Its like high school. Cliques galor. I once had a group of stay at home moms (even though they were in designer boots and skirts) ask my why I bothered to have a child if I work 40+ hours a week. Their children are turning out with the same snobby attitudes. Don't be blind to that.
Amy
7:05 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Good point, MIchelle. WFB has good schools, but this is just as much if not more of a reflection of the population the schools serve rather than that of the teachers or the committed helicopter moms in designer clothes. White kids who are comfortably fed, clothed and housed and have the bonus of having one or two college educated parents will always do well in school, with our without the best teachers and best-dressed moms.
And I wonder If many of the people in WFB aren't snobs, then why is it that the white and minority students don't mix outside of school?
One of my "fond memories" as a young parent in WFB is of a day at the Klode Park, running into my neighbor, a stay-at-home mom and her family at the beach. After playing all day together, I turned and said to her, "We should do this again sometime," to which she replied, "Oh no! You WORK!"
Anyway, it's sad, but no surprise that WFB would shoot down the Little Free Libraries.
Qin Tang
12:58 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
I am a librarian and like the Little Free Libraries. They are great for the communities. Instead of banning them, we should have more of them. I can't believe this is an issue for you.
kindness first
12:58 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
My 88-year-old former engineer father and I are going to make one in his garage as soon as it's warm enough. Already have some of my favorite books - only the best - saved up to donate. Amazing that WFB doesn't realize that sniping at this totally goodwill effort is a much bigger stain on the community than even the ugliest little library could be. I've never seen an offensive one yet, and I've seen dozens. Get a real issue, people. Like gun control! Or saving the moose!