In the cul de sac at the end of Glacier Heights Place in the Garibaldi Highlands is a free library, an ode to Betty Hinkema, a mother and lover of books.
When Betty passed away in an accident last February, her daughter, Allys Di Marzo, decided to create a free library in her memory.
A registered nurse in Squamish who retired in 2008, Betty loved reading books. When she passed away last year, Allys thought of ways to honour her.
She first thought of a park bench with a plaque placed on it, but then she got the idea for a little free library.
“I thought it was the perfect way to do something in my mom’s memory. She would have loved it,” Allys said.
There is a small dedication to her mother written on the left side of the Glacier Heights library: ‘In memory of my mother, who loved to read’.
With a lot of young families in the neighborhood, the library has brought the community together, with young families visiting and borrowing books from the library.
“It sees all sorts of visitors, and gets especially busy on the weekends. There is a high turnaround for the books,” Allys says.
The most popular books are fiction, children’s books and preteen books. Donations are welcome.
If the library is full when people come by with donations, the books can be left in a plastic bag beside the library.
“I will collect them and use them to restock the library when it starts to get low on books,” she says.
The library also has an Instagram page @book.b.a.r.n where Allys posts updates and new book arrivals.
Well done, Allys!