“So many books. So little time.”

That was the theme of one of the latest Little Free Library installations built by local carpenters here in the Hudson Valley.

State Senator James Skoufis worked with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Training Center and community members to design, build and paint the libraries.

“This is an opportunity to promote literacy, to promote reading in inner communities, including in some neighborhoods that may not have quick and easy access to a traditional brick-and-mortar library," Skoufis says.

Over the span of two days, apprentice carpenters and volunteers from the community built and painted each library by hand to turn them into pieces of art reflecting books like “Harry Potter” and “Where The Wild Things Are.” Community members will be able to take a book home and can replace it with another book of their own.

What You Need To Know

  • State Senator James Skoufis worked with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Training Center and community members to design, build and paint Little Free Libraries

  • The six libraries will be placed in publicly accessible locations across six different communities 

  • The libraries are meant to promote reading and literacy in neighborhoods that do not have access to traditional libraries

“When it comes to community projects and working with the residents in the area to build stuff like this, it's an amazing process," Council representative for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Matt Ross says. "It's fun to develop the relationships that you build with people along the way.”

Each library will be in publicly accessible locations in six different communities throughout the senator's district. The project aims to bring the community together, one book at a time.

“Every member that lives here is part of the community, is a fabric," says William Banfield, eastern New York regional manager for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. "So what better to do then to give back to the communities that we live in? And that's just what we did with building these little houses.” 

The little free libraries will be installed throughout the month of May. Here are the dates and locations of each installation:

— 3 p.m. Thursday, May 6 at Bowline Point Park under the Lawless Pavilion in Haverstraw

— 3 p.m. May 10 at L Vern Allen Park in Washingtonville

— 9 a.m. May 12: at Community Park in Chester

— 3 p.m. May 17 at Chadwick Lake Park in Newburgh

— 3 p.m. May 20 at Jays Deli in Woodbury

— 3 p.m. May 24 at Cluett Schantz Memorial Park in Marlborough