Latest / Book Flood Podcast / Daniel Gumnit on Little Free Library (E73)
Transcript
- Tom Nixon: Welcome to the Book Flood Podcast. I am your host, Tom Nixon. My guest today is Daniel Gumnet. Daniel is the CEO and executive director of Little Free Libraries and has held executive roles at People Serving People, Twin Cities PBS National Productions, Children's Cancer Research Fund, and most recently, Minnesota Alliance with Youth. Welcome, Daniel. Daniel Gumnit: Thank you, Tom. I'm really happy to be here with you today. Tom Nixon: I'm I am so excited for this. I'm a big fan of little free libraries. What led you to become the CEO and executive director of Little Free Libraries? Daniel Gumnit: Well, I was recruited and I wasn't aware that this was a a possibility, and I was really excited to learn that it that it was. I have had, I think, two careers. One was in the for-profit world, and the other in the not-for-profit world, and both of them have been really related to. to storytelling, literacy, the power of of narrative. And I started my career doing film and video production and eventually was running all the broadcasts out of an NBA arena for almost a decade and had done a whole bunch of other kind of creative film and video work, got some Emmy, Emmy nominations and the like. So narrative was always a really big part of my creative career. But in the late 1990s, with the boom of the interactive world, I found myself leading the interactive unit of a very large publicly traded media organization. And around 2001, I really realized that I needed to wanted to do work that had more meaning and more significance and more purpose. And left that whole publicly traded, interactive, digital media, crazy world, and went into the not-for-profit space. And that is where over about a 15 year period really got focused on early literacy for children living in poverty and experiencing homelessness and early education and literacy as a lever to end childhood and family homelessness. and so then around the time of the pandemic, having been on the front lines of family homelessness, and we had the George Floyd murder here in Twin the Twin Cities, there was a whole generation of leaders like me that the pandemic just crushed. And I Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: left that direct service human direct service human service world for a few years. And then was recruited to lead Little Free Library. And what I loved about this opportunity was that it had a direct tie to my love of stories and reading and literacy and the power of literacy. And it's an international organization. You know, we're in 128 countries on seven continents. There's 200,000 Little Free Libraries. So it's an opportunity for me to use my media and television and all these other kinds of skills. So but I've learned a lot about what Little Free Library is compared to what I thought it was. and Tom Nixon: Hmm. Daniel Gumnit: so I'm sure that's something that we can talk more about. Tom Nixon: Absolutely. How did little free libraries come into existence? Daniel Gumnit: Well, it it all started with this Little Free Library right behind me. This is the original Little Free Library that was handmade by our founder, Todd Bull. And it was to honor his mother, who was an avid reader. And he really just went out and started sharing this box and the books and the idea of book sharing in Madison, Wisconsin. And it went from this one box to the more than two hundred thousand I actually I just got a new stat. There's we've confirmed that there's more than two hundred and thirty thousand as of this week out of the world. So that is phenomenal growth from about two thousand nine until today. It's just crazy. Tom Nixon: Did it start in two thousand nine? Daniel Gumnit: I believe so, but I'm only eighty percent sure that date. we're the the we're about fourteen years old. Tom Nixon: No no worries. So that is so that is tremendous growth. How does someone get started with creating their own little free library? Daniel Gumnit: Well, it's really, really simple. some people build their own, and on our website we have lots of instructions on how to do that. you know when you build your own little free library you need to think about things like waterproof, that they're waterproof and that they're going to handle the the climate and the like. we also offer many very durable, beautifully handcrafted little free libraries that are made by our Amish. builders in Wisconsin. And you know, Little Free Library is essentially a an e-commerce social enterprise. We sell Little Free Libraries all over the country and in the world. And the proceeds from those sales help us do our programs where we help build community, place Little Free Libraries in book deserts, you know, on Indian reservations and other places like that. And then some people do buy them from other vendors and That that's great too. And one of the things that we really do want people to do when they buy a little free library is purchase the registration. Because when you do that, you get onto our app, you get mapped on our world map, you're connected with all of the benefits of being part of the network, access to free books, access to book giveaways, a Stuart network. So whether you build your little own little free library, buy one. someplace else and buy a registration from us or buy ours with the registration, that's the easiest way to start a little freelance. Tom Nixon: that that's good news. I I should confess that I I have a little free library that I need to be setting up. I actually have it built. my wife bought it for me for a birthday present. and I did buy the registration, so I think I'm doing this the right way. Daniel Gumnit: Wonderful. Wonderful. Tom Nixon: what's the most creative implementation of a little free library you've seen, or little free libraries? Daniel Gumnit: Well, I'm in Minnesota and Tom, I don't know if you've ever been to Minnesota, but we have a lot of trees in Minnesota. And Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: you know, there's places, other places, Oregon, California, and other places that have lots of trees too. So I'm particularly partial to little free libraries that are built out of trees. And one of my favorites is a is was built in Cordelaine, Oregon, which is it's a gi it was a giant, like a hundred year old. Cottonwood tree. Just this huge tree. And they carved out the Little Free Library in it. They put on a roof. It's really massive and just so impressive. That's one of my current favorites. Another one that I saw really recently was one that was made completely out of Legos that mimics the house that's in front of, like perfectly, down to the smallest detail. I think that one's a really beautiful Little Free Library as well. That's also in Oregon, too. Tom Nixon: How very cool is that? I have only flown through Minnesota, but my mother was born in Duluth. Daniel Gumnit: Great, that's a beautiful city. Right by the Lake Superior. Tom Nixon: It it Yep, yep. They had a cabin on the lake the whole bit. What is the role of read in color? Daniel Gumnit: Well Read in Color is one of our signature programs and it has multiple impacts. One of them is that it puts little free libraries in neighborhoods where book access is where there's a real deep need for book access. So we call them book deserts. And so but it's an Interesting program in that it's not just placing one library with one person, it's actually building little communities around little free libraries and book sharing. So it usually involves a person or an organization to whom we grant a number of little free libraries. And then they form like a little network of libraries. The purpose of this is not only to create Book access because we know there's a direct correlation between access to books and reading and school outcomes, but it really also places books that represent the communities themselves. So if you're placing a reading color hub, so to speak, or in a neighborhood where there's a lot of Spanish-speaking people, you frequently will see the people who are placing these little free libraries, focusing on placing books in Spanish or books that reflect the Latino experience. So what it really does is creates access to books, help people find books that reflect their lives, and for kids that's really important because when they see themselves in these books and in these stories, they're much more engaged with with reading. And then it it really helps build this community of sharing and joy in a in a way that's a little bit different than when we just place one box at a time. Tom Nixon: How do you work with different communities? I'm thinking specifically like schools, libraries, other types of organizations. Daniel Gumnit: Sure. Well, I'd like to answer that question in two ways. One is when I opened up our conversation, I said, I think Little Free Library is different today, or my my thinking of Little Free Library is different today than it was when I signed up. because when I signed up, I really thought it was I was describing it as an international childhood literacy organization. And It is, but really what Little Free Library does is it makes reading fun again. And you know, we we really work to root the unique joys of books into every community. And really what it's all about is connecting neighbors to each other, to like delight and the truth that we're all part of a shared story. So Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: If you had asked me 14 months ago when I signed up, Tom, I would have said, Yeah, we're an international childhood literacy organization. And now, if you ask me, I think we're a community-building organization that creates joy and delight and friendlier neighborhoods and deeper community connection. Because going out and meeting with all of these people, I'm really realizing that there's a a a hunger for connection. There's a there's a hunger for a sense of belonging. And now, fourteen months into my tenure as leading this organization, that's what I really think this organization is about. Now, we are making an impact on childhood literacy and all these other things, but I think it's it's much more than that. So if you want that, I'll answer the question differently with terms of schools and libraries. We have really deep partnerships with libraries. And you know, places like San Diego, I know you're a Southern California or a California person. Let's take San Diego. San Diego probably has three or four hundred little free libraries in San Diego itself. More than a hundred of them were put in together with the library system with Little Free Library. And they describe us as twigs on their branches. So Little Free Library, Little Free Library as an organization, and Little Free Libraries as objects are able to do things that regular libraries can't do. For example, we're open 24 hours a day. We never close. There's no expectation that books ever come back. We're able to do other things, like place them in places that are more accessible for people who can't have transportation, or for whatever reason don't feel comfortable going out in public or want to go to a library. Let's say they have leukemia or are concerned about their safety, whatever it happens to be. So we have a really deep relationship with libraries all over the country. And the same thing with schools. You know, you put the library in front the Little Free Library in front of the school, no one's expecting the book to come back. Younger kids and older siblings of the kids who are going to the school have access to them, families. so we really work with a lot of these more main what you would consider like traditional library organizations in a in a really cooperative way. Tom Nixon: I like that. is there a particular library that that gets a call out? Is there is there one library or library system that's gone above and beyond? Daniel Gumnit: I would I I think that the San Diego library system has done a phenomenal job. We don't I mean, the number of libraries that we've put in together is is dramatic and their deep engagement with what we're doing is is really exciting. So I'll I'll give them a big shout out. Tom Nixon: Hm. What are you working on now? Daniel Gumnit: Well, that's a great question. So, you know, as you can imagine, being a year into the organization, we're we've done a whole new strategic planning process, which I'm really, really excited about. we're also really looking at trying to more clearly identify what the people we walk alongside with, the the communities that we that we walk along with, what they really want and need, and making sure that the way we do our operations meets their needs as much as possible. So I think what I'm really working on now is we've just finished the strategic planning. We're going into operational planning, which takes a very high-level strategic document and translates it to what does this mean for me for every department and every individual in the organization? And helps us prioritize what we're going to be focusing on. And one of the things that we are going to be focusing on is How do we connect? Little free libraries into broader communities, meaning every Little Free Library is sort of like a nub or a nexus for the community in the neighborhood. But how do we find ways of connecting Stuarts, which are the the lifeblood of Little Free Library, with other Stuarts nearby them or nationally or internationally? So when you're a Stuart and you are you know you've Started your own little free library and put it in front of your house. You are building a n a neighborhood around you with the kids that come by, the parents walking their kids, you know, everybody. But how do we build a more engaged network of these stewards? and that that's going to be the a task I think we're going to be working on for the next few years. Tom Nixon: Hmm. So my next question was about what what does the future look like for for Little Free Library? You think that's an important piece of it? Daniel Gumnit: I I really, really do. And the the future is also really looking like how do we help little free libraries? There there's many little free libraries out in the community that may have been abandoned or are not being in per particularly great condition. So how do we f be let's say a a really natural way that happens is like a Boy Scout troop will put one in a city park. And then all the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, they all go off to college or they move away or what have you. so how do we find a way of making those little free libraries live beautifully in exciting ways again? So that's something that we're gonna be focusing on. I think we're gonna be focusing a lot on how do we bring stewards together to create more community. And there's a lot of really not so exciting things that are internal, you know, helping our our e commerce and IT systems, you know, really function when we have so many people in the in the most effective way possible. Tom Nixon: The biggest surprise for me was so I had in my head what I thought Little Free Library was. And Daniel Gumnit: Yeah. Tom Nixon: and then I go and I look at your website and I go, You have an amazing number of people who work here. That that was kind of surprising to me that the organization is much larger than I had any idea. Daniel Gumnit: That's that is true, and I'll I will say that one of the things, Tom, that I've heard the most when I became the CEO of Little Free Library is Little Free Library, you're the CEO? And then they cock their head to the side and they squint at them and they go, You mean a little free library is a thing? Many people don't know that we're actually an organization. you know that maintains the app where all the 200,000 libraries that are registered are registered. You know, help with getting books to people who need them, helping create the Stuart experience in Facebook and other places like that. So you know lots of folks don't know that we're actually an organization. And then I will challenge you on being a big organization for an organization that is so geographically dispersed, Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: it has 200,000 little free libraries, you know, hundreds of thousands of stewards, a volunteer network with you know hundreds of thousands of people. We're 20 people? I mean, we're Tom Nixon: Right. Daniel Gumnit: we're tiny. We're we're very tiny. So it may seem big if you, you know, it I guess from one perspective it's big, but when I look at the impact. the organization has had and the number of people that have done that, it's a very, very light touch. Tom Nixon: i it it is interesting to to think of the impact because they're everywhere. I mean I I don't go to places that don't have little free libraries. Now I'm a guy who's gonna be looking for them, but Daniel Gumnit: Up absolutely. Tom Nixon: but still the the numbers are astounding. Do you have any events coming up, either online, offline that you'd like to share with our audience? Daniel Gumnit: Well, Tom, one of the really great things about Little Free Library is that you don't need an event to experience it. Anytime you go to a Little Free Library, it's an event. You know, you can make your own events by going around your neighborhood and placing little free little books in the Little Free Libraries or just browsing and seeing seeing what you need. So we don't have we don't have any individual big events that I want to publicize because you know they happen and they come and they go, but I think every day is an event at a little freelance. Tom Nixon: I like that. how do people get the books for their libraries? Daniel Gumnit: That is a wonderful question. So if we circle back to the reading color program that you asked about, where we're placing little free libraries in very high need neighborhoods that are really committed to increasing book access to people who need them the most, we have mechanisms where we're actually providing a lot of free books to those libraries to help them get started, to help them maintain those libraries. So that is a Big part of what we're doing. We have national partnerships with national publishers and book suppliers like First Book and others to help us get books Tom Nixon: Hm. Daniel Gumnit: at a very low cost or free to these to those people. So I kind of look at book stocking in kind in two different ways. One are neighborhoods of high need, where we as an organization and other people need to play an important role in helping maintain The stock of books because there isn't just enough books in the system to make it happen. But in many, many neighborhoods where there are multiple little free libraries and lots of families who have lots of books, the stewards and the neighborhoods can make those libraries self-sustaining for the most part. And so you know the process of Taking a book and leaving a book, or people going around and stocking Little Free Libraries, or people just moving books out of their homes into the libraries. So the combination of the Stuart and the neighborhood and the community volunteers all make that happen, as opposed to when we're placing Little Free Libraries on an Indian reservation that is an hour and a half or two hours drive to the nearest city, then we're going to have to Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: make some special effort to make sure that those libraries are stocked. Tom Nixon: What does special effort look like? Daniel Gumnit: Well, that may mean that we're actually shipping books Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: from us to them that will work with partners in the community to make sure that they're stocking the books, you know, not-for-profits and others, because there simply aren't enough books naturally in the system to keep those little free libraries stocked. Tom Nixon: I I live in Fresno, California, so Daniel Gumnit: Mm-hmm. Tom Nixon: good sized city. And so there are many, many places you could get books here. But Daniel Gumnit: Yes. Tom Nixon: recently drove through New Mexico and that would be that would be a harder, harder thing to do for sure. Daniel Gumnit: Yes, and so when you're saying lots of books are available, I mean libraries move books out all the time. You know, so if you're near libraries you can get books from them for for inexpensive. There's thrift books, there's, you know, all of these places where you can if you're in an environment where there's l lots of books, getting books to help stock little free libraries is easy. But as you said, if you're out in the middle of New Mexico, you know, fifty, a hundred miles from anything, it's really hard. Tom Nixon: So I have two questions that I ask everybody. Daniel Gumnit: Sure. Tom Nixon: the first one is, is there a book or a series of books from your childhood that still resonates with you? Daniel Gumnit: I'm gonna answer that two ways. One was when I was a kid, I was really into science fiction. I'm still like science fiction. And you know, books Tom Nixon: Me too. Daniel Gumnit: books like Dune and you know, all the Frank Herbert stuff and the Highline stuff really, you know, and so I still to this day read I'm like I'm I'm reading Frank Herbert's Dune, but it's I'm reading it in Spanish now. And it's Tom Nixon: wow. Daniel Gumnit: It's way it's a completely different experience in Spanish than it is in English. but another series that really made an impact on me when I was young was the Tolkien, Rings, Hobbit and the like. And and one of the things that we did in our household was I read out loud to my kids for years. I mean, even into their early teens, you know, like ten, eleven, twelve, you know, thirteen, when most kids are not But we read together and we read all of the Lord of the Rings from you know cover to cover and all the Toby Jansen Moomens and Percy Jackson's and like. But reading the the Tolkien reading the Tolkien books together you know created a lot of really amazing a really lot of amazing memories between myself and my children. Tom Nixon: Hmm. And the other question, what are you reading now? Sounds like it's doom. Daniel Gumnit: well, Dune, but I just finished the Service Berry. And if you haven't read The Service Berry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I really encourage you to do it. Little Free Library is mentioned in it and it's all about the sharing economy. And it's really helped me understand that Little Free Library really is At the heart of the sharing economy, and in ways in profound ways that I never really realized before. And the other book that is I I read a lot of nonfiction is Tom Nixon: Mm. Daniel Gumnit: Teeth, and that's by Mary Otto. And Teeth talks about the intersection between race, income, advantages, and oral health, and that the way Dentistry and oral health has an had an impact on communities and society over many, many years. It's a f it's a fascinating book. And what I why I'm interested in this is that when I worked in childhood homelessness, oral health was a real problem for kids and really impeded Tom Nixon: Yeah. Daniel Gumnit: with their ability to learn in school. And you know, kids would suffer and not be able to pay attention. So I care a lot about that. And then I'm also reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I'm going back and rereading a lot of his short stories and just enjoying the heck out of it. I haven't read them, you know, s for years and years and years and now I remember why I love love his work so much. Tom Nixon: Are you reading in Spanish or English? Daniel Gumnit: I'm I'm reading that also in Spanish. Tom Nixon: Hm. That's a that's a pretty good level of Spanish, I think. Daniel Gumnit: I I do okay. Tom Nixon: I want to thank you so much for being on the podcast today, Daniel. For our audience, please remember to like, subscribe, and share. And again, thank you, Daniel. This was wonderful. Daniel Gumnit: Well thank you Tom. I really enjoyed meeting you and I hope I get a chance to speak with you again sometime in the future. And if you need any help getting your little free library set up, you know how to reach me. Tom Nixon: I appreciate that. Thank you. Daniel Gumnit: Yeah, thank you. Bye bye.