Can you imagine a world without books? Books help inspire and answer questions. Books motivate, entertain, educate, and encourage exploration and imagination. Unfortunately, living in a home with no books is a reality for millions of children in the United States. Not having access to books is a key contributor to educational disadvantage among children. However, studies have shown that increasing access to books and placing more books in or near homes can help enhance children’s learning opportunities and levels the playing field.

United Way of Utah County’s EveryDay Learners is an initiative focused on promoting early reading and increasing access to books for children and their families in Utah County. EveryDay Learners and Women United, United Way’s women’s philanthropic group, recently worked together with Nu Skin of Provo to get free little lending libraries out into the community. Lending libraries are free standing enclosed bookshelves where new or gently used books are placed. The mini libraries allow children to take and keep a free book from the shelf. The libraries are typically placed outside residential homes or local schools and businesses.

Knowing that these libraries would be no small task, the director of EveryDay Learners, Stephanie Anderson, solicited the help of community members and organizations to get the libraries designed, built and painted. One of those community members was Jim Bethel, who spent many hours designing and constructing the libraries.

Bethel has always loved building things. When he had young kids at home, he would build toys and doll houses out of his own workshop and has continued that tradition with his grandchildren. So when he was approached about building small lending libraries that would be placed throughout the community he was thrilled.

“The thought of having lending libraries in the community for children to access books was a no brainer,” he said. “Working on this project was truly a worthy cause.”

For a few weeks he spent every day working on the libraries. He created a process that helped streamline the construction of the libraries, and he even learned a few new skills along the way.

“You almost have to be a builder to really understand all the little steps that go into making something,” Bethel said. “It is fulfilling when you finally see the end product. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to build more. Knowing what the libraries were going to be used for was also part of the joy of this project.”

Reading has been a big part of Bethel’s family’s life. Bethel and his wife read to their children, and now their children read to their children. Reading has been woven into the fabric of their home. Bethel himself is also a big reader.

“When I find an author I like, I read every book written by them and devour it,” he said. “There is something so special about holding a book in your hand, marking the pages, and being excited to return to it again and again. Then it’s sad when it’s over. It’s almost like a void, so then you have to find a new book to fill the empty space.”

Bethel expressed gratitude for the EveryDay Learners director, Stephanie Anderson, as well as Nu Skin of Provo and Women United for championing this project.

“I am so glad to have been a part of this,” he said. “We need to be getting more books out into the community. There is so much joy that comes from reading a book or having a book read to you. We can’t deny giving this joy to the next generation.”

The scope of the project has been large–getting the libraries built, painted, and put out into the communities. The final piece will be gathering books to fill the libraries.

“The Read Early, Read Often lending libraries will be placed in various neighborhoods and outside schools throughout the county,” Bethel said. “However, we need the help of the community to fill the libraries full of new or gently used children’s books.”

If you would like to donate, visit United Way of Utah County — Just Serve to learn how you can sponsor a book drive in your neighborhood. You can also drop off board books, picture books, early readers and early chapter books at the City of Orem Office, 56 N. State St. in Orem.

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