Books foster meaningful and enjoyable conversations. No secret about that.

Now, a growing trend is building on this long-known fact. Little Free Libraries are popping up in neighborhoods throughout the region, encouraging neighbors to meet and talk with neighbors as they share and pass along their favorite reads. Ranging from simple wooden containers to large reused newspaper boxes, these tiny treasures for bibliophiles are filled with used books for adults and children, promoting passersby to “take a book, leave a book.”

Sandy Davis, a retired teacher, said she thinks the Little Free Library she set up in front of her Pawcatuck home is a great way to build community. We agree.

Little Free Libraries began in Wisconsin in 2009. Todd Bol built a model of a one-room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother who was a teacher who loved to read. He put the schoolhouse on a post in front of his house and filled it with books free for the taking. Others loved the idea and wanted their own. Bol built more schoolhouse models for more free books. The idea took off and spread across the country, inspired by the likes of Andrew Carnegie’s support for more than 2,500 public libraries in the early 20th Century, and Wisconsin librarian Lutie Stearns, who established a network of small traveling libraries for rural communities during the same time period.

Just as Carnegie libraries now are found throughout the world, Little Free Libraries are registered in all 50 states and more than 70 countries. Connecticut hosts more than 50 officially registered Little Free Libraries, but there are many more unregistered ones. In southeastern Connecticut alone, these micro-libraries offering books for both adults and children are located in Montville, Ledyard, East Lyme, Groton, Mystic, Pawcatuck and Old Saybrook.

Little Free Library stewards say they love hearing from those who take or leave books. Some stewards leave journals and notepads in their libraries to encourage communication. The official Little Free Library website also suggests simply knocking on a steward’s door.

At a time when many neighbors never interact with each other, Little Free Libraries help break down barriers as well as promote literacy. This is a trend that deserves to keep growing.