Take a book or leave a book--there’s now a place to do just that in the Student Center on the Utica campus of SUNY Poly.

Following a successful book drive by The President’s Programming Initiative in late February, gently used books were collected and used to stock a Free Little Library on campus. The book drive was held in honor of Dr. Seuss’ March 2 birthday.

Born in 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American author, political cartoonist, poet, animator, book publisher, and artist, best known for authoring more than 60 children’s books under the pen name of Dr. Seuss and creating some of the most well-known literary and pop culture characters of modern times, including The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch.

Those who donated to the campaign received a Dr. Seuss themed bookmark as a thank you and the knowledge that they were passing on the gift of an enjoyable read to other members of the campus community.

The President’s Programming Initiative committee is made up of faculty and staff, providing outreach to the campus community, bringing together students, faculty, and staff, for educational and social initiatives.

“We all wanted something that encouraged reading in our community and the idea of a Little Free Library was mentioned. All committee members were excited and helped bring the vision to life by tabling to collect books the week leading up to Dr. Seuss' Birthday,” said Adrienne Victor, committee head for the President’s Programming Initiative and Assistant Director of Student Activities. “We hope the Little Free Library will give our students free and easy access to literature, because we believe (as Dr. Seuss wrote) ‘the more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.’”

Aimed to inspire a love of reading and build community, Little Free Libraries are public bookcases filled with a small selection of books free to exchange. With more than 60,000 such bookcases in existence throughout the United States and other countries, users passing by can take a book to read or leave one for someone else to discover.

The Free Little Library on the Utica campus of SUNY Poly can be found next to the stairs in the Student Center, en route to the dining area.