Above: Eliana Goldwasser, left, and Catherine Anderson beside their little library on South County Trail.

There’s a new little free library on South County Trail, thanks to Catherine Anderson and Eliana Goldwasser, members of Girl Scout Troop 855 in East Greenwich.

The concept of a little free library is that everyone is welcome to take books they want to read and donate books they are finished with.

Girl Scouts Eliana Goldwasser and Catherine Anderson, with their adviser, Shelley Avarista.

“We chose this project because we care about child literacy,” said Eliana. “We want the kids in this neighborhood to have access to books right where they live.”  The teenagers plan to stock the library, at 2880 South County Road, with lots of children’s books and supplies, as well as some books for adults.

Catherine and Eliana are working toward their Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the highest a girl scout cadette can earn, they wanted to do something that would have a long-term impact on their community. Reading is something both girls are passionate about, and the Little Free Library is a great way to share books with local residents.

“It took us a lot longer than we thought it would. We had to learn how to use power tools and we were both nervous about that!” said Catherine. “We wanted the library to look like a schoolhouse.”

Cole Middle School librarian Shelley Avarista, their project advisor, advised them on which books to place in their little library. She also provided some books.

“We’re really proud of the library,” said Catherine. “It was a lot of hard work.”