A small wooden house housing books quietly showed up on Johnny’s Patio this week. Chimes sat down with the engineering students responsible for the creation of this house, known officially as “The Little Free Library.”

As part of their Engineering 101 class, students Lexie Lundquist, Delaney Gawenda, Ben Mars and Larisa Tomeci worked together last fall to create what now stands outside of Johnny’s and the Commons Annex. The professor who taught and led these students, Monica Groenenboom, explained that “All ENGR 101: Introduction to Engineering Design classes have a service design project.” Selected by professors, the projects depend on client need.

For this specific project, the students teamed up with Dr. Irene Kraegel from the Center for Counseling and Wellness (CCW) to create a free little library which will, according to Kraegel, “carry books related to personal growth.” Kraegel added that the mini library is still in progress and is waiting on a plaque which will offer some information about the library. In addition to the partnership with Kraegel, the students also worked with metal and woodshop technician Phil Jasperse.

When asked about why she decided to assign the Little Free Library, Groenenboom shared, “Books to me bring knowledge and joy. I love the idea of a LFL (Little Free Library); they give a sense of community, a place to meet, a conversation topic. It is about love for books, and the love for our neighbor, our contribution to a friendlier world.”

The project, which was introduced halfway through the semester to Lundquist, Gawenda, Mars and Tomeci, took about a month to create. All four students shared equal excitement over seeing the fruit of their labor on campus for students to see and use. Groenenboom and her students expressed that it was a team effort and are equally glad to see the resulting product of their partnership with the CCW.