The Watkins-Montour Rotary Club has placed six Little Free Libraries around Schuyler County, inviting everyone to “take one, leave one.”

Encouraging people of all ages and interests to read by offering free books aligns with Watkins-Montour Rotarians’ and Rotary International’s commitment to improving literacy in local communities.

The new Little Free Libraries are located at the Beaver Dams Church, Romeo Village in Montour Falls, Odessa-Catharine United Methodist Church in Odessa, Lafayette Park and Clute Park in Watkins Glen and Barnum Street Playground in Burdett.

Rotarians will keep the blue and yellow structures stocked with books, but users are encouraged to “Take a book. Share a book.” in the spirit of the international Little Free Library program. The boxes are accessible at all times.

“If ever ‘it takes a village’ applies to a project - or several ‘villages’ plus a lot of Rotarians and family members - it does to our Little Free Libraries endeavor,” Watkins-Montour Rotary Club President Nan Woodworth said.

“Thanks to the vision, expertise and collaborative effort of several of our Rotarians, a District 7120 Community Grant was written, building materials were supplied at cost and the project completed from construction to post digging to installation,” Woodworth said. “We are also grateful to the churches and municipalities that gave us permission to place our Libraries on their property.”

She noted that books have been donated by Rotarians and through a book drive hosted by Odessa Wine and Spirits.

The Little Free Libraries are registered with the international network, and each carries an identifying number. With the Rotary project, Schuyler County now has 10 registered Little Free Libraries. Worldwide, more than 175,000 are located in 121 countries.