* [whistling]
>> James P. Roberts
is a bookworm on a bike.
>> Let's see,
"Ripley's Believe it or Not!"
>> And he's created the perfect
system to indulge himself
in his passion.
>> A Little Free Library
is like a box of chocolates.
You never know
what you're going to open!
[laughs]
>> Little Free Libraries
are just what their title
suggests.
Homeowners put up a box
in their front yard
and fill it with books.
People like James are free
to take one or leave one.
>> It's an exchange
of people's tastes.
Oh, a Louie L'Amour!
You get sort of an idea
of well, what not only
the person who is the owner
or curator of that library,
but also the taste
of the general neighborhood.
We've got a western, mysteries,
and cooking.
Okay, this is where we're at,
right here.
Our next one is just
down the street.
>> A few years ago, James mapped
out the 35 Little Free Libraries
he knew of in the Madison area.
>> And I thought,
okay, that's pretty cool.
Let's see if we can visit
all 35 of them in one day
on a bicycle.
Bad move.
[laughs]
>> After 10 hours of biking,
James only made it to 21.
But a tradition was born.
>> Let's do it again each year.
What I've done, was I've
broken the city of Madison
into sections,
bikeable sections.
>> The number of Little Free
Libraries has grown.
>> Exponentially!
Right now, I have over 120
locations.
>> Visiting them all
is no longer a day trip.
>> Eight days!
Eight days.
One of my favorite books,
"Someplace To Be Flying."
Get my "I-pad"...
I would get up in the morning
and I would try to make
at least one section.
>> James doesn't think
the Little Free Libraries
are competing
with the big free libraries.
>> I think they complement
each other more than
take away from each other.
But with the
Little Free Libraries, there's
that element of surprise.
Science fiction!
One of my prized finds
is this book called
"Sketches of Mexico"
by John W. Butler.
It's published in 1894.
It's the type of book
that you won't find
in a regular library.
>> Another advantage over
the traditional library
is this book search
is much more neighborly.
>> Hello.
>> Yes, I meet some
very interesting people.
>> Homeowner Dana Posset
sees her Little Free Library
as an extension of her house.
>> When we moved into this
house it screamed
"Little Free Library."
>> It's a conversation that
likely wouldn't have happened
without the prospect
of shared books.
>> Monona has quite a few.
Very, very cool.
Thank you so much.
>> Pleasure meeting you.
>> It was a pleasure
meeting you.
I'm Dana, by the way.
>> I'm James.
>> James is an author
and a published poet.
So to him, Little Free Libraries
represent another avenue
to spread his love of literature
and the written word.
They also remind him of a poem
he wrote about his childhood
called "The Library."
>> Mother would take us
to the eastside library,
where I would check out
as many books
as they would allow.
And for those last few weeks
before school,
I would sit in the summer sun
and read westerns,
mysteries,
sports,
and science fiction,
lapping up other lives
like a thirsty dog.
I often dreamed of one day
living in a library,
where I could read
all the books.
But then,
I would miss mother's good food.
[laughs]
>> James smiles at the thought
of having a Little Free Library
when he was a child.
>> I would never have left
the front yard!
[laughs]
>> Some of that kid
is still within James
riding his bike on a summer day,
with a backpack full of books.