In 2009, Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, started the first Little Free Library. The concept is “take a book, return a book.” The mission is to promote literacy and a love of reading by offering a free book exchange for children. A nonprofit organization promoting the idea was established in 2012 and the concept has spread across the nation.
Jackson State University, the historically Black educational institution in Mississippi, has established The Little Free Library in West Jackson. To get the Little Free Library in West Jackson off the ground, books have been donated by the Jackson State University Mississippi Learning Institute, the Interdisciplinary Alcohol and Drug Studies Center, and the Jackson State University College of Education and Human Development.