Take a Book. Share a Book.

Researched and contributed by Lois Harr with a bit of help by Dave Werner

From the December 3, 2025 “Prairie Point Pointer”

We are sharing the stories about the Little Libraries in our neighborhood.  Just another way The Attic Angel Community wants to share “The Attic Angel Touch” with our neighbors and community friends! Our volunteers, residents and employees hope you will “Come Visit and Enjoy a good Book!” 

It should be noted that when Little Libraries are registered, they get a Charter Number and are listed on the World Map at https://littlefreelibrary.org/map. Around 2008 it was Judy Brannstrom and Claire Merkt from AA staff that got the first one in place when Claire from Marketing shared her idea for books in the neighborhood and Judy’s husband and son, Arlin and Jim, built it and Judy registered it as Charter #16858.

Apparently, the idea caught on and around 2012, Prairie Point residents Del Pigg and Chuck Stumpf built two more with Chuck doing the stained-glass Angel windows and Del maintaining them until the end of this year, 2025. They are conveniently located on Wild Indigo and Meadow Rose Lane with well-used benches that offer an inviting place to sit and read or rest. 

As the Junction Ridge Neighborhood grew, two more Little Libraries were installed: one by a resident on Elderberry Road and the other at the Junction Ridge Park entrance on Augusta Drive. That one (Charter #58422) is registered and cared for by Mukta Nandwani and her family.

Mukta shared that it was installed in August of 2017 but stolen in 2020! The Junction Ridge Neighborhood community came together to do a fundraiser, which was the beginning of the JRNA Bake Sales, and with the money earned a custom library was built by a friend of Lynn Wiskowski and installed later in 2020. Needless to say, it has been maintained with love. Since then, Jennifer Ondrejka’s husband, Tom Rudy, installed a solar light in the library and she and Lynn have built the little flower garden around it. Every year they get native plants from Olbrich Gardens to add to the site. As steward of the library, Mukta’s family have added books for a holiday or special days, organized a Scavenger hunt, surprise candy treats during holidays, and book collections that have been enjoyed by many children and neighborhood residents. “It was a childhood dream to set up a public library. Never thought the realization would take such a simple form. Installed in the park for kids and adults alike to never be without a book!”

Now as we approach 2026, the Attic Angel Library will be repaired by Kaitie Sauer from The Studio and her Woodworking group. Then the staff will review its location and provide information for the area residents. We want to say a special Thank You to Del and Jan Pigg for their ongoing care of the libraries. Now in 2026 forward, the three libraries in Prairie Point will have designated maintenance and stewards to keep them looking inviting. “Take a Book, Leave a Book” and remember books also bring us together here at Attic Angel and Junction Ridge communities.

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” --Mortimer J. Adler