Image provided by Halie Pierce
By Aubrie Harris
Halie Pierce, a local artist and lover of color, was walking in her neighborhood park when she saw something in front of someone’s house that gave her an idea — a small, wooden community library filled with books.
“I wanted one in front of my house,” Pierce said. “But the wooden ones are boring.”
She wanted something colorful and fun that could make someone’s day a little brighter. So, she got creative with what she had: an old filing cabinet and a few leftover cans of spray paint. After spending some time in the backyard, she emerged with a coral-colored filing cabinet covered in flowers.
Image provided by Halie Pierce
A couple of days later, a friend saw the cabinet in Pierce’s yard and asked if she would make her one. That started the community now known as the 806 Lending Libraries.
Joseph Pierce said he and Halie are considering putting more lending libraries in parts of Lubbock that see more foot traffic. The pair’s goal is to provide as many people as possible with access to reading materials and other useful things.
When Pierce first placed the library out in her front yard, she just wanted to give kids access to books, outdoor activities, board games and other fun essentials they may not have at home. A week after the library’s creation, The Pierces decided to expand and also help the older people in their neighborhood. The library’s inventory now includes not only books, movies and games but also toiletries and deodorant. In the winter, they add socks, hats, gloves and warm blankets.
Image provided by Halie Pierce
“It’s not just for kids,” Halie Pierce said. “It’s helping all sorts of communities and ages. I’ve seen a lot of older people stop at ours’s, in front of our house.”
When she started, she never expected the project to become as big as it currently is. She just had an idea that sounded like fun.
“It started as this small thing, and it’s grown to this community-wide influence,” Pierce said.
The Pierces said they are thankful for the community that has grown around them through social media. One person who found the 806 Lending Libraries through social media is Bethany Luna.
“I saw the work that 806 Lending Libraries is doing, and I was really excited about it,” Luna said. “So, I just reached out and said I wanted one for my business.”
At the time, there were a couple of pre-made libraries available for sponsorship. Luna wound up getting not just one for her business, but one for her home as well. She said her goal is to make books accessible for kids.
Luna is a family and relationship therapist at Phoenix Moon Healing. Before that, she worked as an intervention specialist and visited families’ homes. Having seen the way many children live, she said learning libraries are much needed in Lubbock.
“There were many times where I went into homes and there were no books in the home to practice reading,” Luna said. “I went into some homes where their toys were literally, like, old newspapers, cardboard boxes, things that the family had opened and kind of thrown away and the kid had taken and made a toy out of it.”
Pierce and Luna agree that more lending libraries are needed, especially in places where kids might lack access to books.
People can continue to help the lending libraries by delivering donations to one of their locations across Lubbock, which can be found on the 806 Lending Libraries Facebook page. It’s volunteers like Luna who keep the lending libraries alive, Pierce said.
“A lot of people want to help,” Pierce said. “I think there was a need for it that I didn’t realize was there.”
“You don’t have to have one to participate,” Luna said. “Bring your books or your activities, put them in your car, and drop them off the next time you drive by one.”
Image provided by Halie Pierce
Pierce said she is keeping a list of people who want to join the lending library community. She has tried her best to keep up with the list, but even if the weather was permitting, she is still only one person, she said, waving her pink paint-covered fingers.
Anyone who wants to become a library sponsor can contact Halie Pierce on Facebook through the 806 Lending Library page to put their name on the list. A sponsorship fee of $50 covers the cost of materials and items for the libraries.
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