PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Brielle Blessing is stocking books for her Free Little Library in Pittsfield. 

The soon-to-be seventh grader recently decided to create a Little Free Library for her neighborhood to bring them closer together, encourage reading in her community, and provide a book for those who may not be able to get one. 

“I had noticed a lot of comment about how there’s nothing that really brings us together, there’s nothing we can really bond over super close," Blessing said. "And I know a lot of people love to read. And I think this is a great idea to provide to the community. We can give to others for someone who can’t afford a book or wants to take more. I think it’s a way to provide knowledge."

Blessing used her Christmas money to buy books for the start of her library and has since gotten a variety of different material to put in. She wants to encourage reading for all ages, so she makes sure to put books appealing to different ages when restocking.

“We have a range between children to teen to very little," she said. "Sometimes we’ll put in stories for bedtime stories. And we have all the way up to adults and just a very wide range of books inside the library."

Blessing got the idea to start this library after a summer trip to Maine last year where she saw a little free library. This summer working with her stepdad they worked on an area with a bench and a book nook which, by now, has been used daily by many.

“I wasn’t really sure if it would be used as much, but it definitely has been," Blessing said. "I have seen people every single day walking through, dropping some, taking some, reading some on the bench. It’s been super really fun to see this being used so much."

Blessing updates the library’s Facebook page with new books available for people to grab and encourages people to leave a book if possible.

“If anyone sees a book, they might want they can stop by and pick it up," Blessing said.

The library has been so popular that the Blessing family may look into making the library larger for more books for people to enjoy.

It is located at the corner of Bartlett and Broad streets.