Readers of all ages can choose a book from the Marion Women’s Club new “Little Free Library,” installed recently at the Club, located at 1126 E. Center St., thanks to a grant from Marion Rotary Club.
Installed by Women’s Club Board Member Jackie Zugg and filled regularly by Board Member Amy (Evers) Roston, the Little Free Library houses books for youth as well as adults, according to Valerie Wigton, Women’s Club president.
“Reading and literacy have always been important to our Club,” Wigton noted. “In fact, our founders began gathering as a book club in 1895.”
Throughout the years, the Women’s Club hosted “book showers,” gathering books to share with community members, and hosted literacy-focused events. “One of our Club Presidents, Mrs. Florence Head, helped to create the Ohioana Library in 1929 along with Ohio First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper. Together, they collected, preserved, and promoted the works of Ohio authors, artists, and musicians.”
Users may stop in the Little Free Library to take a book, replace a book, or donate a book, at the blue box located along True Avenue and safely park in the Women’s Club parking lot. “It was important to place it there for safety purposes,” Wigton pointed out.
The Marion Women’s Club was selected by the Rotary Club of Marion to receive the grant in late 2024. Installation had to wait until appropriate Spring weather.
