At first glance, they might look a bit like colorful birdhouses. But come closer to one of the wooden boxes that have been mounted on posts in several of Ashland’s public spaces, and you’ll see an array of books behind a glass door. A small plaque prompts, “Take a book. Return a book.”

The boxes are Little Free Libraries, designed to allow readers of all ages to share their favorite books, discover something new or maybe even develop a love of reading.

Through a grant from the Ashland County Community Foundation’s Youth Impact Council, Friends of Ashland Public Library purchased kits to create the bookcases. Jim Thomas from the library’s maintenance staff assembled the boxes, and kids from the community helped paint them as part of the library’s summer reading program in 2017.

Two are located at Brookside Park (one by the pool and playground and the other by the miniature golf course), and a third is at Brookside West. Another box is downtown at Kinnaman Park (on Center Street just south of Main Street). One box is a Cahn Grove Park, and the last is at Freer Field.