Cotillion Park neighbors spark creativity

By William Warner

The Grand Opening of the Cotillion Park Little Free Library was Sunday, Jan. 26. This is the only the second Dallas park-based Little Free Library. Among the guests were Paula Blackmon (Dallas City Councilmember), Paul and Lis Bennett (Braeburn Glen Neighborhood Assoc.), Eric and Sharon Linberg (Friends of Cotillion Park) and about 20 neighbors.

 The LittleFreeLibrary.org donated the library, and Mary Ann Turner painted it. The Dallas Park & Recreation Department allowed the neighbors to place the Little Free Library in Cotillion Park and installed the post.

“We plan to have books available in English and Spanish for both children and adults,” organizers said. “We will focus, however, on early childhood and elementary students. We think that our main users will be from the local elementary school and their parents. Since the LFL will be within 20 feet of the high school bus stop we will also have both fiction and non-fiction books directed for their use.”

 Several people in the neighborhood have volunteered to help be stewards of the library. Both the Friends of Cotillion Park, the Braeburn Glen Neighborhood Association and requests on NextDoor will be sources of book donations and assistance. 

 The mission is to give disadvantaged students an opportunity to increase their learning and to create life-long readers. The library will also help the parents with their reading skills as they help their children. For those that already love reading the Little Free Library will serve as a convenient source of new books to explore. With an LFL in the neighborhood park, the easy availability of books would be a great asset. The nearest public libraries are 3.2, 3.6 and 6.5 miles away — a hardship for many in the neighborhood.

 The Cotillion Park Little Free Library is off to a great start. Already, quite a few books have been checked out. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. In the 10 years since the Little Free Library program was started, it has spread to more than 100 countries and close to 100,000 LFLs. Through Little Free Libraries, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.