Pitt’s University Child Development Center launched a Little Free Library

Pitt’s University Child Development Center (UCDC) cut the ribbon on a new Little Free Library at a Sept. 19 ceremony.

A committee of UCDC teachers were considering ways they could increase book access for children, families and community members around the center when the Little Free Library nonprofit and its mission came to mind. To fundraise for the project, UCDC held a book fair at a local bookstore, with the proceeds allowing them to build a more expansive array of titles for the book-exchange box.

The next steps were planning, constructing, decorating and installing the brand new Little Free Library. In April, engineer Deborah Lang led an informative demonstration on buildings and architecture for UCDC students. The children then created four prototype libraries for consideration, which were voted on by students and teachers at the center. Frank Peck — a UCDC parent, alumni and the husband of one of the center’s teachers — completed construction on the winning design.

“I am so excited to see this Little Free Library come to fruition,” said UCDC Director Jamie Wincovitch. “We worked hard to create a process that gave the children the knowledge to build a structurally sound building, the creativity to design their own prototypes and the experience of democracy through a voting process to make the final decision.”