Boots on the Ground Youth Leadership Academy founder Teresa Holmes, right, stands in front of the Little Free Library built and installed by Larry Barkdoll in Bane-Harris Commemorative Park, located at 401 West High Street, this past week. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Tuesday evening, the Shepherdstown Parks & Recreation Committee met together for its regular monthly meeting in one of the Corporation of Shepherdstown’s five parks, Bane-Harris Commemorative Park.

But unlike the committee’s average monthly meeting, this one included the official donation of a Little Free Library to two of the Corporation of Shepherdstown’s parks — Bane-Harris Commemorative Park, located at 401 West High Street, and Viola Devonshire Commemorative Park, located at 400 East German Street. This marks the first installation of a Little Free Library in any of the town’s parks — one that its donor organization’s founder — Shepherdstown native Teresa Holmes with the Boots on the Ground Youth Leadership Academy — said was deeply needed to encourage an interest in literacy in those who visit either park.

“Reading is a top component of our leadership program, because we all know that educated children turn into employed adults. That was one of our reasons for doing that,” Holmes said. “Some people don’t get that push to read in their everyday lives, but when there’s something that accessible to them like this, where they can just come to the park and grab a book, it makes it a lot easier for them to feel motivated to read.”

According to Holmes, Boots on the Ground Youth Leadership Academy’s board did consider a few other options for encouraging literacy in Shepherdstown, but easily narrowed down their options to installing Little Free Libraries in highly populated areas, such as local parks.

“As a team, we were looking for a way to inspire reading, build community and expand access to reading materials, so we did some research and we decided on the Little Free Library,” Holmes said, mentioning she led the team in selecting a picture of the kind of Little Free Library they wanted built and then commissioned Ranson-based builder Larry Barkdoll, formerly of Shepherdstown, to construct them out of glass panes and wood.

Larry Barkdoll installs a Little Free Library in Viola Devonshire Park, located at 400 East German Street, this past week. Courtesy photo

The construction was completed this past summer, while discussions were taking place with between Holmes and the Shepherdstown Parks & Recreation Committee on installation and upkeep logistics. Then, over this past week, Barkdoll was cleared to install both libraries in their designated locations on the outskirts of the park play areas.

“Larry installed both of them this week. They gave a wonderful gift to the community,” said Shepherdstown Parks & Recreation Committee Chair Cheryl Roberts, noting the Little Free Library upkeep will be a community effort. “This also connects with our committee’s program, Bookmark the Park, which seeks to encourage literacy and park visitation, by holding literary-themed events in each of our five parks during the warmer months of the year.”

Book donations for either Little Free Library are welcome, provided they are appropriate for general audiences, as both adults and children will be borrowing books from the same locations. Currently, the books in each Little Free Library are donations from Holmes and Roberts.

To donate to and learn more about Boots on the Ground Youth Leadership Academy, visit https://m.facebook.com/pg/bootsonthegroundyouthleadership/.