REAL Little Free Libraries® Campaign
One City. One Public Library. 100,000 People... and what
The REAL Program is doing to change that.
In high-poverty neighborhoods across America, there is just one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. Up to 61% of low-income families have no children's books at home at all. Researchers call these communities "book deserts" — and Lynn, Massachusetts is one of them.
Lynn is home to over 100,000 people, yet the city has only one public library.
The problem worsened when the annex libraries closed. Entire neighborhoods lost their only point of access to books.
For families already navigating poverty, limited English, and overcrowded schools, the message was clear: reading is a privilege, not a right.
The REAL Program stands firmly with words and action in our response to this message.
We refuse to accept that.
380,000+ books distributed and counting.
The REAL Little Free Libraries® Campaign is dismantling Lynn's book desert — one library, one block, one neighborhood at a time.
We've installed 45+ colorful, hand-painted Little Free Libraries across Lynn and surrounding communities, with a goal of reaching 250 and turning Lynn into a City of Readers.
The impact of this campaign is hard to overstate.
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35,000 books distributed per year since 2013.
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45+ Little Free Libraries
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Countless children and families with access to books they would not have had otherwise.
Each Little Free Library is stocked with child-friendly books and is accessible by everyone — no library card, no due date, no barriers.
Take a book. Keep it. Read it to your kids. Pass it on.
Every library is built, painted, and installed with the help of community partners, local artists, and volunteers — including the talented young artists at RAW Art Works who bring these little landmarks to life. They've become more than book exchanges. They're gathering points, conversation starters, and visible proof that this city believes every child deserves a book within walking distance of home.
But access to books is just the beginning. The REAL Little Free Libraries® Campaign is the community-facing chapter of our cradle-to-career literacy model. When a child pulls a book from a Little Free Library on their street, they're connecting to the same mission that powers Starting Small, Before Home, REALSTREAM, Digital Literacy, and ESL for Adults — a mission that says literacy belongs in every home, on every block, and at every stage of life.
Our goal isn't just to stock shelves. It's to turn Lynn into a City of Readers — a place where literacy is accessible, visible, and woven into the fabric of daily life. One book at a time. One reader at a time. One neighborhood at a time.
See our feature on Lynn Community Television below!