by BRIAN NADIG

One of these “small” free lending libraries that seem to be growing in popularity in recent years burned completely to the ground either late Thursday, August 22, or early Friday, August 23, in front of the Jefferson Memorial Park Fieldhouse, 4822 N. Long Ave.

When park officials arrived at 8 a.m. Friday, they found most of the wooden box disintegrated and its contents burned on the ground. The park’s other lending library, a former metal newspaper box, was undamaged.

The park’s “small” libraries are frequently used, as residents store books and board games there for others to use.

The exact time of the vandalism is not clear, but it occurred after 8 p.m.

Efforts are expected to be made to replace the lending library box.

These types of library boxes, often decorated with works of art, are found in public places and occasionally on the lawns in front of houses.

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