Downtown Oxford’s quaint Centennial Park is a place locals frequent to enjoy summer concerts, eat ice cream cones or just relax on a bench and watch life go by.
But soon it will be a place to grab a book, or leave one.
Last week, the village council voted unanimously to approve locating a free book exchange box in the park as recommended by the Oxford Beautification Commission.
The box will function like a 24-7 library in that members of the public will be able to take books for their own use and leave books for others to enjoy. No library cards will be needed, nor will any late fines be assessed.
Dr. Catherine Willoughby, a teacher and media specialist at Oxford Middle School, approached the village with the concept last year after seeing a similar box in Children’s Park in Lake Orion.
The plan is to install the box this week.
The box resembles a small barn, which is a nod to Oxford’s connection to the iconic Lone Ranger character, who was portrayed on the radio coast-to-coast by Oxford resident Brace Beemer from 1941-54.
For years, Beemer raised and rode horses on his W. Drahner Rd. farm. Today, the rural portions of Oxford Township continue to be home to a number of horse farms and equine enthusiasts.
Willoughby’s OMS book club, known as Pizza and Pages, selected the barn look. The club meets monthly and works to promote literacy throughout the school.
‘The kids voted on the design at our meeting,? she said. ‘I gave them a choice of five and they picked this one.?
It was built by Oxford resident Eric Hartman, whose daughter, Libby, is an OMS eighth-grader and member of Pizza and Pages.
Actually, the whole Hartman clan pitched in as mom Leslie did the staining and sibling Maggie, a sophomore at OHS, painted the Lone Ranger’s white hat and black mask on each side.
?(Eric Hartman is) really good with woodworking,? Willoughby said. ‘It’s beautiful. He did a really good job. I’m very impressed.?
Lakes Community Credit Union awarded Willoughby a $500 grant, which paid for the materials to build the box.
OMS students and parents donated books to stock the box and get the balling rolling.
‘We have a whole bunch of books ? nice ones, too,? Willoughby said.
Willoughby plans to register the Centennial Park box with the Little Free Library (LFL) program, an international free book exchange founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 2010.
There are 25,000 LFL book exchanges located in all 50 states and more than 70 countries, according to www.littlefreelibrary.org. To date, more than 35 million books have been exchanged worldwide through LFL.
Councilman Bryan Cloutier, who serves as director of the Oxford Public Library, was enthusiastic about the LFL exchange program coming to Oxford. He called it ‘a very exciting thing to have.?
‘These are really great additions to many different communities,? he said. ‘It’s been very successfully implemented across the globe.?
Although this LFL box is not sponsored by or connected with the public library in any way, Cloutier said that’s ‘not to say that we wouldn’t support it because we certainly do.?
‘They’re not meant to be necessarily started by libraries,? he explained. ‘They’re meant to be started by individuals that just enjoy the love of reading and sharing literature with each other.?
This will be the area’s second LFL box.
One was recently installed by Don and Jane Saxon at the corner of Oakwood and Hosner roads on the campus of Kingsbury Country Day School in Addison Township.
‘The move is on, and it’s really a cool thing,? Cloutier said. ‘I hope that it’s very successful in the future and that we can get more of these out into our communities.?
The Beautification Commission recommended placing the box in Centennial’s northwest corner because, as Chairman Joe Bullen told council, this spot has ‘got more foot traffic, I would say, than any other part of the park.?
‘I think that would be a real good place for it,? he said.
The commission recommended there be a sign stating ‘clear and concise? rules regarding the exchange box’s use such as do’s and don’ts for book storage and what type of subject matter is not allowed.
Village Manager Joe Young told council Willoughby would be keeping an eye on the box to ensure it remains in good condition and stays free of inappropriate reading materials. Her efforts could be aided by the Department of Public Works, which already maintains the park, Young noted.
‘I’ll be by every week to make sure that it looks okay and that there’s good books in there,? Willoughby said. ‘I’ll be monitoring it because I know it’s important that it stays nice and that there’s not junk in it, or else people won’t use it.?
There was also a recommendation that following the box’s installation, there be a one-year ‘trial? period after which the program would be evaluated in September 2016.