SoBo Little Free Libraries Continue to Bloom

(This article, originally published in the April 2025 issue of the Peninsula Post, has been updated with two new libraries. – Editor)

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In a new survey of Little Free Libraries scattered across the SoBo peninsula, we at the Peninsula Post made a surprising discovery: these diminutive sidewalk structures have proliferated, doubling in number since our first survey in early 2021.

Our latest audit, conducted in February and updated in June, counted 22 libraries, up from 16 in mid-2023, which was an increase over the 10 found four years ago. While a few of the original “take a book, leave a book” establishments have disappeared, an array of new ones have sprouted up to take their place. Several occupy refurbished newspaper boxes, and we now have our first “Tiny” Free Library inside a converted mailbox.

Below we list all 22 libraries with their locations. They are arranged from west to east across the peninsula, starting with Sharp-Leadenhall and continuing to Locust Point. We have added information about how stocked each library was during our latest survey: two asterisks (**) for full or nearly full, one asterisk (*) for partially full, and no asterisk for empty or nearly empty.

• Henrietta Street at the corner of S. Sharp Street (northern edge of Solo Gibbs Park) *
• 1700 block of Clarkson Street **
• 1300 block of Hanover Street (newspaper box conversion) **
• Unit block of E. Wheeling Street near S. Charles Street *
• Unit block of Ostend Street near S. Charles Street **
• Birckhead Street at the corner of Patapsco Street (newspaper box conversion) *
• South Baltimore Learning Center, 28 E. Ostend Street **
• 100 block of E. Churchill Street **
• Federal Hill Preparatory School, 1040 William Street **
• 100 block of E. Randall Street **
• E. Randall Street at the corner of Battery Avenue (Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church) **
• Rash Field Park, 201 Key Highway, in the “BGE Nature Play” area
• 400 block of Grindall Street
• Henry Street Park, 1240 Henry Street **
• 400 block of E. Cross Street **
• E Clement Street at Belt Street (our first “tiny” library) **
• Captain Larry’s, Jackson Street at E. Fort Avenue (newspaper box conversion) *
• Stack Street near the intersection with E. Fort Avenue
• E. Heath Street at the corner of Webster Street **
• McHenry Row, across from the northeast corner of the Harris Teeter parking garage on Porter Street **
• E. Clement Street at the corner of Hull Street **
• Locust Point Recreation Center, 1627 E. Fort Avenue *

Know of any Little Free Libraries on the peninsula that we missed? Drop us a note (editor@sobopost.org), and we’ll add it to our next survey. – Steve Cole