Maple Leaf school, bmobile turn derelict phone booth into Little Free Library

THE Maple Leaf International School recently launched its Little Free Library, utilising a repurposed bmobile phone booth which was transformed into a drop-off and pick-up point for books.

A release from bmobile on Tuesday, said the phone booth which once connected people across distances is now connecting a community through stories.

The Little Free Library, an initiative to promote literacy and community engagement through a unique lending space in Petit Valley, is located just outside the school.

The Little Free Library movement has become a global phenomenon, with over 100,000 libraries in over 100 countries worldwide. The campaign encourages community-building and promotes literacy by providing free access to books in public spaces.

Anjanie Ramesar-Soom of bmobile’s corporate, environmental, social and reputation management team noted that the company was excited to support this initiative.

“Creating more community reading spaces like this is crucial to the continued development of TT. Even as we drive a digital-first economy, we believe reading and writing are critical to success not just in school, but also in careers and community-building efforts.

“We are truly happy to see one of our old phone booths given new life to support a great cause.”

The release said that both bmobile and Maple Leaf recognise the importance of reading and its role in shaping a better future for communities. The new Little Free Library will offer access to books for individuals who may not have the means or opportunity to access them otherwise.

The lending space is available from Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm, and visitors are encouraged to take a book or two during those hours. Books can be returned, but this is not mandatory.

“We are the fourth official Little Free Library available in TT and the first in the North West of the country,” said Christal Fakoory, a teacher at Maple Leaf.

“We are grateful to bmobile for coming on board. We repurposed the phone booth available right outside of the school.” She also thanked Catherine Sanders, Shannon Alonzo, Richard Rozario, Travis Bell-Orr, and companies Sign Post and Fretworks, for their contribution to the repurposing of the booth.

Books can be dropped off and collected at the same time and the library caters to people of all ages.

Joanne Bell, marketing co-ordinator for Maple Leaf, said the school places great importance on reading and writing.

“We have an ongoing internal competition called ‘What’s Your Write?’ which allows any student from kindergarten to Grade 12 to share a story, poem, report or even picture book that is then adjudicated anonymously by guest authors.”

She added, “We have also had wonderful guest authors, including local writer Kevin Jared Hosein and Celeste Mohammed, come in and speak to our students.”

People wishing to donate books to the school must ensure they are in good condition.