# Free Book Gardens Open Across Lexington for Young Readers **Published:** 2026-08-31T18:08:00.000Z **Source:** [Fayette County Public Schools](https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/city-offers-free-community-book-gardens) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/free-book-gardens-open-across-lexington-for-young-readers LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Fayette County Public Schools has launched the Lexington Community Book Garden](https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/city-offers-free-community-book-gardens), a citywide literacy initiative designed to eliminate geographic and economic barriers to reading by placing colorful, free bookstands throughout local neighborhoods. The program, described as a partnership between schools, nonprofits, businesses and community organizations, offers families an opportunity to explore the stands and help children build home libraries without cost, sign-ups or restrictions. Six book garden locations have been established across the city: the Alcove at Russell Cave on Ward Drive; the Black and Williams Center on Georgetown Street; Commonwealth Credit Union on Sir Barton Way; Greenhouse 17 on Briar Hill Road; Westminster Community Center on Versailles Road; and YMCA North on West Loudon Avenue. Community leaders say the initiative addresses a significant challenge in education equity. Book insecurity—an inequitable distribution of relevant books, especially for families with young children—contributes to persistent educational disparities, according to literacy advocates. The Lexington Community Book Garden brings together the Fayette County Family Learning Community, a collaborative that includes [Unite for Literacy, a nonprofit providing free digital access to picture books narrated in multiple languages](https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/corp/about); Toyota's Driving Possibilities initiative; the National Center for Families Learning; Commonwealth Credit Union; and FCPS. The partners fund, supply and host the book gardens to ensure sustainable access to quality literature. The effort reflects growing recognition that early literacy development is foundational to long-term educational success. [Patty Smith, Chief Brand and Advocacy Officer at Commonwealth Credit Union, and Sharon Mofield-Boswell, Director of Family and Community Engagement with Fayette County Public Schools, helped develop the initiative](https://www.lex18.com/community/best-of-the-bluegrass/lexington-community-book-garden-helps-children-read-access-free-books). Families and community members are invited to visit any of the six locations to browse available titles and build their children's home libraries. ## Sources - [Fayette County Public Schools](https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/city-offers-free-community-book-gardens) - [Lex 18 coverage of the community book garden program and its partners](https://www.lex18.com/community/best-of-the-bluegrass/lexington-community-book-garden-helps-children-read-access-free-books) - [Unite for Literacy organizational information and mission](https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/corp/about) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Fayette County Public Schools, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/city-offers-free-community-book-gardens.