The Lending Library
Jun 15, 2023 09:59AM ● By Ethan Hoffmann
River makes the project come to life in the workshop.
The Little Lending Library at Riverside Park is now open! The library's motto is to “bring one, borrow one” or “take one, leave one” and the community has been enjoying what the project has to offer for many years. Citizens of Morgan can choose a book to read while they are at the park and are free to take it home to read with the family. Just make sure that you bring it back when you are finished reading, or bring another book to replace it. If you are cleaning out your book collection, the Lending Library loves and is happy to accept gently used donations for the cause.
The Lending Library was organized by River Pinhey, an Eagle scout who made the project in Morgan come to life. “I noticed that there were small boxes with books in them along the side of the road in several places around Utah,” said Pinhey. “I thought it’d be beneficial to have one that is easily accessible to the public in Morgan and the perfect place would be at Riverside Park, the one place everyone comes and hangs out in Morgan.” Pinhey’s uncle, a local seminary teacher named John Heywood, helped him tremendously with this project, going so far as to help his nephew build the entire thing from scratch and install it at the park.
According to Pinhey, the project actually changed a few times over the course of the next couple of years, mainly due to exterior damage. The kids at the park liked hanging on the door of the library, and in the process, they would often break it. Pinhey and Heywood had to redesign the door multiple times so that people couldn’t destroy it as easily. The first iteration of the door swung out from the side and the hinges just weren’t strong enough to support that much weight. The second iteration of the door had hinges at the top so it would be impossible for kids to hang on it. “This seems to have worked very well, as it has lasted a lot longer with this design,” commented Pinhey. “My uncle and I painted the Lending Library with a color palette that looks friendly and inviting in the hopes that people will be curious about it and utilize it more.”
Since Pinhey finished this project in 2015, he has graduated from Morgan High, served a mission in Yakima, Washington, and is now enrolled in college at BYU-Idaho. He works for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and does cinematography. Pinhey loves his job and by creating videos that help strengthen the community, he has been able to work on projects for his community in a different way since his Eagle project. “I am honestly amazed that the lending library in Riverside Park grew into such an amazing project,” Pinhey emphasized. “I am thankful that I was able to be part of it. Morgan is an amazing community and I am proud that I was able to help strengthen the community through reading!”
Pinhey’s family oversaw the Lending Library and was responsible for upkeep for a long time. When they moved to Idaho, its management was transferred to the Friends of the Morgan County Library. The head of the organization, a local named Jo Burby, is now one of the current sponsors for the project and will help the library continue to thrive for years to come. Pinhey
even inspired others to provide similar services at their businesses, such as Hinds Country Store right off the Peterson exit. λ