Repurposing is the central theme of La Jolla’s newest little free library, located on the north side of Calumet Park in Bird Rock. Though it stands out for its eclectic style, its inconspicuous location makes it a hidden treasure.
The Calumet Surf Library, as it’s called, opened its small doors earlier this month.
Its co-founder, La Jolla resident Anne Musselman, describes herself as an avid reader and an admirer of little libraries, which encourage users to grab a book at no charge and add one to the collection.
A sign on the Calumet Surf Library shares the mission of little free libraries: Take a book, leave a book. (Anne Musselman)
In spending time in the community, Musselman and partner Mike Uwers saw how the libraries resonate with people.
“We’re cyclers, too, so we just noticed throughout our community how many people were very appreciative to people who have created these little libraries for the public — a really nice service,” Musselman said. “And we just wanted to do the same.”
Inspiration to build one struck at an unexpected time.
“I was just out of the hospital from heart surgery [and] I was not supposed to lift anything over 5 pounds, but I noticed this great little cabinet being discarded on the side of the road,” Musselman recalled. “I pulled over.”
The cabinet, missing a plank of wood in the back and needing various reinforcements, became the centerpiece of the Calumet Surf Library. Other pieces from secondary stores gave the library additional character, especially Ollie the Wise Old Owl.
The sculpture, picked out from the Goodwill store on La Jolla’s Girard Avenue, got a makeover with multicolored paint and a pair of reading glasses. A sign was added to the side of the library encouraging people to take a book and leave a book.
Ollie the Wise Old Owl presides over the little free library at Calumet Park in Bird Rock. (Anne Musselman)
Creating the library took a couple of weeks, Musselman said. She found the parts and did the painting, while Uwers stepped into the role of woodworker, fashioning the back plate and “doing the gluing and screwing.”
“All the guy parts,” Musselman joked.
The only thing missing was a place to put it, she said, as a large hedge prevented it from being placed outside her home.
“Our local park is Calumet Park and we know the neighbor who lives adjacent to Calumet Park,” in the 5400 block of Calumet Avenue, Musselman said. “She kindly offered to collaborate and allow us to place this little library atop her wall.
“It’s a thing of the past that we’re losing today in current society and commercialism.”
The Calumet Surf Library isn’t the only one of its kind to go up in La Jolla recently. In June, the Casa de Mañana senior-living community welcomed its own little free library.
That one, funded by the Casa Club and built by community resident Kent Walker, stands outside across from Casa de Mañana’s rear entrance on Coast Boulevard South. ♦