Julie Nagel and Dawn Sard have started a Little Free Library in the village of Panama. Submitted photo

PANAMA — Panama residents, lifelong friends and avid readers, Julie Nagel and Dawn Sard, have fond memories of the local Bookmobile, a bus filled with books that brought “a magical doorway to a world of adventure and possibility,” to their small community.

It is out of this love for reading and for their community they have partnered with the village of Panama to add a Little Free Library to this corner of the world.

Little Free Libraries are book exchange posts set up all over the United States and the world. Anyone who passes is encouraged to “take a book or leave a book.” No library card is needed and books don’t have to be returned.

The Little Free Library trend started in 2009. The libraries ensure that no matter a person’s place, income, or circumstances, they can always have access to a good book. Through Little Free Library book exchanges, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds. Little Free Libraries draw communities together, just like libraries have done all over the world for many generations.

Panama’s Little Free Library offers books for adults and children and is located outside the village office on Main Street in Panama. It is registered with the nonprofit organization Little Free Library and is added to the Google map on their website, which pinpoints libraries all over the world.

COVID-19 contact precautions are posted. Nagel and Sard are stewards for the library and will be responsible for replenishing books as needed and ensuring books are available for all ages. They hope their neighborhood book exchange will promote a sense of community, literacy, and inspire the love of reading.