Little Books for a Big Library
What could be a more perfect way for a library group to fundraise for a modern, state-of-the-art library than with books? The Gretna Public Library Foundation is delighted to unveil their newest fundraiser: Little Books for a Big Library!
I’m already sold! Let me jump right to the details.
The Story Behind the Books:
My Little Library Books
These books were created by the library’s Assistant Library Director Rebecca McCorkindale. She’s the same librarian who creates and donates the Kusudama flower ornaments for the library’s Foundation.
“I love arts and crafts that contain memories while they help to create new ones,” Rebecca said of her creative endeavors.
It took seeing a child’s love of the stickers she’d win by completing the library’s scavenger hunts to give Rebecca the idea for a “little book” fundraiser: “She would keep every sticker she won by sticking it onto her mom’s billfold. I thought about how I still have my childhood sticker book, and these thoughts, along with others, led to these sweet books.”
These are the first books Rebecca ever attempted to make, and some show signs of this learning curve. “There’s a lot of double-sided tape and staples that go into these books,” Rebecca laughs. But then sanding the edges helps to make things more soft and even.
After some trial and error, the books finally looked the way Rebecca had imagined. But the bookbinding process created quite a bit of leftover materials, and that’s when the Little Library Books came into being.
The Story Behind the Books:
Little Library Books
These small blank books are for all-ages and feature some very thoughtful touches. Again, the paper is the same high-quality drawing paper that the other books use. One of the neatest features is the miniaturized replica of a Gretna Public Library “date due” card.
Rebecca has been collecting these cards from discarded books since she began working at GPL over a decade ago. Once the idea was formed, she knew that one of her favorite cards would work perfectly. “I wish I knew what book the card was from, but that’s been lost.” She digitally cleaned-up a high-res scan of the card and then shrank it. There’s also a special message from the Gretna Public Library Foundation on the card’s backside.
She also used the library’s now-retired stamp (it dates back to at least the 1980’s) to stamp the pocket portion of this feature using acid-free ink.
Besides store-bought book cloth, Rebecca wanted to create unique upcycled cloth to highlight how considerate the library’s Foundation is towards the library’s past while looking towards the future; how both old and new can be used to create something special.
Rebecca found an Etsy seller who cut vintage fabrics into 18″X22″ rectangles known as “fat quarters.” Once the fabric arrived, she steamed out the wrinkles, heat-bonded acid-free tissue paper onto the fabrics’ backs, and then cut the fabric down to the little book size (approx. 5.25″X3.5″).
After gluing the cloth and endpapers onto the covers, the next step is to fold, cut, and punch holes into the drawing paper. The last step is where the binding in book binding comes in: sewing the covers and paper together. Again, Rebecca chose to honor an ancient form of book binding and used a Coptic binding.
Coptic bindings were first produced in the 2nd century AD by the Egyptian Christians called Copts. The Copts popularized a way to bind together several folded sheets of papyrus using a series of linked stitches forming a chain.
Pat Fox and Caitlin Moore on the Cornell University Library Conservation blog
It’s like making a friendship bracelet, but with four curved and sharp needles.
All-in-all, these cute little books are created with much time, thought, and love with the hopes that they become a keepsake that’s enjoyed for years to come – even after the modern, state-of-the-art library opens.
My Little Library Book Details
- $10 per book
- Made in tribute to both Little Golden Books and Mr. Men & Little Miss books.
- A GPL librarian creates each book by hand.
- The golden spine features the Gretna Public Library tree logo.
- Each book has a dozen pages of acid-free drawing paper.
- Can be used as a sticker book, or a child’s picture book featuring their own stories, and more!
- If there is any damage to a book, or an issue with the binding, then Rebecca will do her best to repair it.
- Both types of books are available at both the Children’s and Main Library buildings.
- 100% of your purchase goes to the Gretna Public Library Foundation to help build a modern, state-of-the art library.
Little Library Book Details
- $20 per book.
- Each book has 64 pages of 98 gsm/60 lb acid-free sulphite drawing paper that is ideal for pencil, charcoal, pastel, and pen and ink drawing
- Double needle Coptic stitch binding allows the book to lay flat when open.
- Features a replicated Date Due card from Gretna Public Library’s past.
- The Gretna Public Library stamp on the Date Due pocket was used for decades to label library books.
- Many of the book covers are made from upcycled vintage fabric.
- Vintage fabric covers include endpapers featuring the library’s tree logo.
- Both types of books are available at both the Children’s and Main Library buildings.
- 100% of your purchase goes to the Gretna Public Library Foundation to help build a modern, state-of-the art library.
