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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When you see a newspaper box on a street corner you probably assume the morning paper is inside, not a bunch of books.</p><p>On Saturday morning, members of the Leadership Wilkes-Barre Class of 2019 got together at the Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works to convert donated Times Leader newspaper boxes into bookcases for a special endeavor &#8212; Learning With Books: A Little Free Library Project.</p><p>&#8220;We had a team meeting in September,&#8221; said group leader Megan Filak. &#8220;We tossed around ideas of what we could do and decided to do this because the impact could reach a lot of people.&#8221;</p><p>The concept for the free library is for people to take a book or leave a book &#8212; whatever they choose.</p><p>Each converted newspaper box will serve as its own free library.</p><p>Filak believes in the group&#8217;s tag line: &#8220;Connecting our communities to the world through the sharing of knowledge.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Reading is so important,&#8221; Filak explained. &#8220;It can open up so many different avenues for people of all ages.&#8221;</p><p>The group is partnering with local businesses across the county to host the libraries in front of their businesses and help maintain them.</p><p>The six newspaper boxes turned libraries can be found in Wilkes-Barre, Nanticoke, Pittston and the Back Mountain. Exact locations will be revealed on Monday, according to Filak.</p><p>Filak did not specify the design of the boxes or the color they will be painted but she assured they will be a great addition to the communities where they end up.</p><p>&#8220;Each library will have a map on the top so people can check out the other locations,&#8221; she added.</p><p>The group will also be holding a fundraiser, &#8220;Laughs for Libraries,&#8221; at Wise Crackers Comedy Club inside the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino on March 1 to raise funds for the initiative.</p><p>For more information about the group and its goals, check it out on Facebook at &#8220;Learning With Books: A Little Free Library Project.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A member of Leadership Wilkes-Barre works to convert an old Times Leader newspaper box into a free-standing library Saturday. The mini-libraries will be placed in front of businesses across the county as part of a Leadership project to promote reading. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_LWB.jpeg.jpg</photo0><caption0>A member of Leadership Wilkes-Barre works to convert an old Times Leader newspaper box into a free-standing library Saturday. The mini-libraries will be placed in front of businesses across the county as part of a Leadership project to promote reading. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted Photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Leadership Wilkes-Barre creating mini-libraries with old newspaper boxes