City of Leawood shuts down boy's little free library

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Haley Harrison - KMBC-TV Channel 9


http://i.imgur.com/aZwzpX0.jpg

A 9-year-old Leawood boy is doing his part to promote reading, but he's hit a roadblock.

Leawood city leaders have told Spencer Collins that he has to stop sharing books with his neighbors.

Collins had to take down his little free library, essentially a communal bookshelf, on Wednesday. The motto of the sharing center had been "take a book, leave a book," but Collins learned there's a lot less give and take in city government.

Collins loves reading. He doesn't just dive into a book -- he swims through its pages.

"It's kind of like I'm in a whole other world and I like that," he said. "I like adventure stories because I'm in the adventure and it's fun."

When he tried to share his love for books, it started a surprisingly frustrating adventure.

"When we got home from vacation, there was a letter from the city of Leawood saying that it was in code violation and it needed to be down by the 19th or we would receive a citation," said Spencer's mother, Sarah Collins.

Leawood said the little house is an accessory structure. The city bans buildings that aren't attached to someone's home.

The family moved the little library to the garage, but Spencer Collins said he plans to take the issue up with City Hall.

"I would tell them why it's good for the community and why they should drop the law," he said. "I just want to talk to them about how good it is."

"We empathize with them, but we still have to follow the rules," said Richard Coleman of the City of Leawood. "We need to treat everybody the same. So we can't say if somebody files a complaint but we like the little libraries -- we think they're cute -- so we ignore it. We can't do that."

Leawood said it has received two complaints about Spencer Collins' library.

Collins said he's trying to think outside the box, looking for ways to keep the library going within the letter of the law.

"I thought, why not get a rope and attach it to our house and the library?" he said.

He has also set up a Facebook page for it.

Several surrounding cities also have little libraries. Prairie Village told KMBC 9's Haley Harrison that the city simply doesn't enforce codes that would restrict little free libraries.

[Goofy]

What a load of crap :|

[FBD]

I love how the system will show kids when they're good and young that it aint on their side

[Teh One Who Knocks]

This part is just as disturbing as the city shutting it down:


Leawood said it has received two complaints about Spencer Collins' library.

Who the fuck feels the need to go out of their way to complain about something like this? Wankers.

[Noilly Pratt]

:banghead:

[Hal-9000]

This part is just as disturbing as the city shutting it down:



Who the fuck feels the need to go out of their way to complain about something like this? Wankers.

that's what caught my eye too....he's doing something completely free on his own lawn and encouraging a community aspect for something great like reading...

who takes the time to register a complaint ffs..

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:wtf:

[Hal-9000]

Hunger Games is out again???!!! :x



*calls police*

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Meanwhile in my area


Little libraries pop up

At least four little libraries have cropped up in the Chino Valley over the last six months on lawns, in flowerbeds and planters.

The mini libraries on posts contain books that are free to the community. Residents can take a book and return it at their leisure.

Or they can replace them with books they don’t want anymore.

The Little Free Library movement began in Wisconsin in 2009 to promote the love of reading and provide a sense of community. In five years, it spread across the country and around the world.

Glenn and Chris Hansen of Chino Hills were featured in the Champion last November after building a little library in front of their home at 3411 Royal Ridge Drive. Since then, three more little free libraries have been built, one in Chino Hills and two in Chino.

Donna Rutherford and her husband Michael Dunham unveiled their library at 4053 Bayberry Drive in Chino Hills last weekend. Ms. Rutherford said she visited Portland, Ore., two years ago and saw the little libraries everywhere, including one inside her sister’s condominium complex.

Ms. Rutherford’s library, built by her husband, fits well with her at-home tutoring business, she said.

Patty Edwards of Chino loves books and wants to share them with others. When she heard about the movement, she wanted her own library. Her husband, Terry Edwards, designed and built it for her birthday last November at 5965 Vicente St. at Sycamore Avenue.

[DemonGeminiX]

:anarchy:

[Hal-9000]

Meanwhile in my area


Little libraries pop up

At least four little libraries have cropped up in the Chino Valley over the last six months on lawns, in flowerbeds and planters.

The mini libraries on posts contain books that are free to the community. Residents can take a book and return it at their leisure.

Or they can replace them with books they don’t want anymore.

The Little Free Library movement began in Wisconsin in 2009 to promote the love of reading and provide a sense of community. In five years, it spread across the country and around the world.

Glenn and Chris Hansen of Chino Hills were featured in the Champion last November after building a little library in front of their home at 3411 Royal Ridge Drive. Since then, three more little free libraries have been built, one in Chino Hills and two in Chino.

Donna Rutherford and her husband Michael Dunham unveiled their library at 4053 Bayberry Drive in Chino Hills last weekend. Ms. Rutherford said she visited Portland, Ore., two years ago and saw the little libraries everywhere, including one inside her sister’s condominium complex.

Ms. Rutherford’s library, built by her husband, fits well with her at-home tutoring business, she said.

Patty Edwards of Chino loves books and wants to share them with others. When she heard about the movement, she wanted her own library. Her husband, Terry Edwards, designed and built it for her birthday last November at 5965 Vicente St. at Sycamore Avenue.


very cool






Porky's free library charges 5.00/per day for overdue books :lol:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:lol:

[Hal-9000]

and ya only got one book...it's a great book but it's a thousand page monster so them late fees keep on rollin in :dance:

[Hal-9000]

this makes me sound old....it's cool seeing young people actually use books...I have an ereader and if it weren't for pirating ebooks, I'd still be buying second hand paperbacks

[Teh One Who Knocks]

FOX News


Spencer Collins can turn the page and reopen his “Little Free Library” in his front yard for now, thanks to a temporary moratorium passed late Monday by council members in a Kansas town.

The Leawood City Council unanimously approved a moratorium, effective Tuesday, until Oct. 20 to re-examine a decade-old ordinance that banned tiny structures in front yards. The decision came after the 9-year-old boy addressed council members during a public comment portion of the meeting, Fox4KC.com reports.

“I like checking the little library to see what books have been taken and what new books are left,” he said. “I think free little libraries are good for Leawood and I hope you will change the code.”

The boy’s father, Brian Collins, said he hoped an amended ordinance would pass.

“For one simple reason: promote literacy and promote community, two things we can all agree on are good,” Brian Collins said.

One unidentified man argued that the little structures are actually an “eyesore” that could decrease property values.

“You will destroy Leawood if you destroy our codes and bylaws,” he said.

Spencer, meanwhile, said he was pleased that the ruling will allow his library to stay at least temporarily. He made national headlines last month when Leawood officials asked his family to remove the library.

The lending library trend began in Wisconsin, according to the Kansas City Star, and has led to more than 30 little libraries in the Kansas City area. They foster literacy by suggesting that people “take a book, return a book.”

Not everyone is a fan, however.

“Why do we pay taxes for libraries and have those boxes on our streets?” Leawood resident Wade King asked, according to the Star. “In a blighted area? Sure, put them everywhere. We’re not a poor area. We don’t need them.”

[Goofy]

Common sense prevailed? :faint:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Common sense prevailed? :faint:

Yeah, but look at the comments from some of the assholes that live in the town:


One unidentified man argued that the little structures are actually an “eyesore” that could decrease property values.

“You will destroy Leawood if you destroy our codes and bylaws,” he said.


Not everyone is a fan, however.

“Why do we pay taxes for libraries and have those boxes on our streets?” Leawood resident Wade King asked, according to the Star. “In a blighted area? Sure, put them everywhere. We’re not a poor area. We don’t need them.”

Wankers.