The Acadiana Educational Endowment, through ReadingWithKids.org sponsored a competition this Spring for UL School of Architecture and Design students to design Little Free Libraries for Upper Lafayette. The Winners were announced Tuesday, March 2nd. They are: Third Year Architecture Students: Caleb Brown, Cory Desormeaux, Therese Guerin, Aslynn Rider, Sadie Sloan, and Trace Taylor. The winners will be built by LPSS Career Services and SLCC students and installed in Upper Lafayette this summer. Kiwanis of Acadiana has agreed to pay for the materials. There will also be a Gala Event in August to dedicate the Little Libraries and raise awareness.
Book Deserts are a nationwide problem; in these, there can be as few as 1 book for every 300 children. [1] Lafayette's main Book Desert is located within the city's Northside, also known as Upper Lafayette. [2] The Little Free Library program is an international project that has enjoyed great success and support. [3] The main focus of the program is distributing books through grassroots efforts to install them in neighborhoods where residents can take a book or give a book. All student competition entrants also contributed children's books for the built little free libraries.
The designs were selected from over 40 entries by student and faculty judges. The next step is producing drawings and instructions for fabrication of the libraries so they can be sent to the students at the LPSS Career Center and SLCC.
For additional information please contact: Dr. Joseph Abraham, joseph.abraham1@louisiana.edu, 337-692-3956, or Professor W. Geoff Gjertson, gjertson@louisiana.edu, 337-278-2722.