The Linda Mar neighborhood now has five open-air book lending libraries thanks to a neighborhood Eagle Scout.
Malcolm Hall, 17, a senior at Oceana High School, said he
developed his Eagle Scout project out of a scouting merit badge he earned when he set up a small library, built out of wood, outside his house. He thought
the small shelves in a box could turn into a bigger community project.
His mom, Julia, the librarian at Ortega School, supplied him with the books he needed to get started. Others brought over bags of books to support the project.
Pacifica Friends of the Library sponsored it all. Friends of the Library member Susan Omran not only supported the project as a member of that organization but took on one of the mini libraries outside her home.
“I thought it was a great idea. It’s doing really well. People are looking for books and putting some in. I thought he did a bang-up job,” she said. “He was on point. We had to put up with social distancing and masking.”
In Boy Scouting since first grade, Hall really enjoys his troop activities. He is currently a patrol leader. His involvement with Ohlone Lodge is another favorite part of scouting. In more normal non-pandemic years, the Scouts attend the National Order of the Arrow Conference with the Ohlone Lodge.
His dad and his grandfather have wood shops. He learned the skills he needed to build the wooden libraries with their help. He used a lot of recycled materials from other projects they had, such as extra roofing shingles and plywood.
Hall plans to apply to College of San Mateo next year.
“I don’t know what I want to do, so I decided to try community college first,” he said.
His dad, John, said he likes when people make a special trip to visit the library at their home. “It’s a great sense of community,” he said.
Hall likes the positive reactions he gets from the visitors. He sees a lot of children using the library he built. He stocks books for all ages. Some visit multiple times to see what’s new.
“It’s been a big success,” he said.
Looking for a new book? One little library is in front of the Hall house, 1159 Encanto Road. Others are on Palou Drive, Rosita Road, Escalero Avenue and Hermosa Avenue.
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