FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 16, 2015
CONTACT: Mary Quinn McCallum 612-968-0558
Little Free Library Founder Todd H. Bol Plans to Bring His Love of Literacy, Books, and Community Building Across Iowa
Hudson, WI – Like the Johnny Appleseed of small libraries, Little Free Library creator and executive director, Todd H. Bol, will spread the word about the joy and power of free book exchanges as he makes his way from Hudson, Wisconsin through 4 cities in Iowa, ending at the Iowa City Book Festival.
“Since I am heading to the Book Festival to speak, I thought I would use the drive across Iowa to continue working on our goal to get 100,000 Little Free Libraries built across the United States,” says Bol.
For the “LFL Across Iowa Tour,” Mr. Bol will be stopping in Des Moines, Dubuque, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids with his trailer containing notable Little Free Libraries, a mobile Little Free Library with books for the public to take home, plus tools and library kits to donate libraries and help volunteers build libraries for their communities.
▪Des Moines metro area: On Tuesday, September 29th from 10 AM to 1 PM, volunteers from the Des Moines area will be participating in a Community Build Day at the West Des Moines Public Library. During the event they aim to build 4 donated Little Free Libraries for their community.
▪Dubuque: On Wednesday, September 30th, Mr. Bol is honored to be the guest at a Community Build Day in Dubuque from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Spark Family Hair Salon, made famous for barber Courtney Williams’ efforts to improve the reading skills of children in his neighborhood by offering free haircuts to kids who read to him — a story recently featured on Good Morning America and in People Magazine and USA Today, among others.
▪Between Davenport, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City: On Thursday, October 1st, Mr. Bol will make his way to Davenport. On the following day, October 2nd, he will head to Cedar Rapids. During his trip he intends to make frequent stops in towns along the way so he can commit what he calls “Random Acts of Library” engagement efforts that include book and coffee mug giveaways designed to spread the word about Little Free Libraries.
▪On Saturday, October 3rd, Mr. Bol will be at the Iowa City Book Festival where he will be a featured speaker. In addition, he will host a library building event and promote The Little Free Library Book by Margret Aldrich, which was published by Coffee House Press in 2015. Author Margret Aldrich will also be in attendance at the Iowa City Book Festival.
Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build community and promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. They seek to increase the number of Little Free Libraries in the United States from 30,000 in 2015 to 100,000.
Summary of Events for the LFL Across Iowa Tour
Tuesday 9/29, 10 AM – 1 PM: Community Build Day, West Des Moines – Volunteers will be building libraries with Mr. Bol.
Des MoinesPublic Library
4000 Mills Civic Parkway
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
Wednesday 9/30: Community Build Day, Dubuque – Hosted by barber Courtney Williams. Volunteers will be building libraries with Mr. Bol.
Spark Family Hair Salon
1572 Central Ave
Dubuque, IA 52001
Thursday 10/1: Random Acts of Library between Dubuque and Davenport
During his journey Mr. Bol will stop in towns he comes across to give away books and coffee mugs, and perhaps build a library or two.
Friday 10/2: Random Acts of Library between Davenport and Cedar Rapids
During his journey Mr. Bol will stop in towns he comes across to give away books and coffee mugs, and will perhaps build a library or two.
Saturday 10/3: Iowa City Book Fest
Mr. Bol will speak about the founding and growth of Little Free Library as a global movement, host a demonstration build at the Little Free Library booth, and celebrate the publication of Margret Aldrich’s The Little Free Library Book published by Coffee House Press.
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Images available upon request
CONTACT: Mary Quinn McCallum 612-968-0558