To the Editors:

Never underestimate the power of one small change. Just change one letter in a word and the meaning of that word is completely changed. Removing the letter “g” from “sing” gives us “sin,” an immoral action, which seems etymologically coincidental.

“Libraries Big and Small We Love Them All” is a great phrase displayed on Little Free Library bumper stickers located in the Oberlin Heritage Center. This location is one of the historical buildings in Oberlin, built in 1836 and moved to its current location in 1968. It was the first public school in town, known as “The Little Red Schoolhouse.” The location of the Little Free Library at this site is a tribute, remembering and honoring the people of Oberlin. The Little Free Library is orientated toward learning, with the Oberlin site extending the College’s mission to the entire town.

Furthermore, the Little Red Schoolhouse is similar to the Little Free Library in its capability to represent Oberlin’s philosophy on liberal ideas. Most of the arguments for liberalism in Oberlin today are that the law should not discriminate and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities. This liberal philosophy ignited the construction of the Little Free Library right next door to the Little Red Schoolhouse. This continues Oberlin’s legacy: a philosophy of supporting liberal ideas and programs, supporting the distribution of knowledge for all.

Even though the library is just a small box, it is representative of a trend in the dissemination of knowledge: We can sustain our future with books. According to The Washington Post, in an interview between WKYC and 8-year-old Madison Reid about the Little Free Libraries, Reid said, “The world needs books! What would the world be like without books? They fuel our mind like cars and gas. The cars can’t go without gas. Our brains can’t go without books. The world needs books!”

The surprisingly simple rule, “Take a book, return a book,” has taught the Oberlin community cooperative values like good behavior, trust and accountability, as well as spreading literacy and the public enjoyment of literature.

– Abdillah Imron Nasution
Faculty of Dentistry Syiah Kuala University
Oberlin Shansi Visiting Research Scholar