October 9, 2026
Thirteen years ago, on October 9, 2013, my very first Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded. The project was called Skookum Reads! Little Free Library, and the idea was wonderfully simple: build a small outdoor library in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where neighbours could freely exchange books, discover new authors, and share a love of reading.
What began as a modest idea about literacy and community turned into one of the most rewarding projects I’ve undertaken.
Taking a Chance on an Idea
I launched the campaign on September 9, 2013, shortly after Kickstarter expanded into Canada. I had a funding goal of $365 and absolutely no guarantee that anyone beyond my immediate circle would be interested.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried.
Within 36 hours of launching, Kickstarter selected the project as a Staff Pick: Project of the Day. The campaign reached its funding goal within eight hours and eventually raised $791 from 65 generous backers, exceeding its original goal by more than 200%.
Even more exciting, Skookum Reads! was featured by CTV News and mentioned in Kickstarter’s own retrospective of its first month in Canada.
I was delighted, surprised, and, above all, grateful.
Building Skookum
With funding secured, the next challenge was to turn the idea into something tangible.
Thanks to the craftsmanship of Jeremy Dace, Skookum Reads! became a beautifully constructed little library, sturdy enough to withstand the Fraser Valley’s famously wet weather.
On December 11, 2013, the library was officially established. We celebrated with a neighbourhood launch party, complete with hot chocolate, cookies, candy canes, and a bookmark-decorating activity for children.
The concept was simple: Give a book. Grab a book. Grow a community.
And that’s precisely what began to happen.
More Than Just Books
By its first anniversary, Skookum Reads! had distributed more than 500 books and received over 1,000 donated books from visitors, friends, family, The Book Man, and the United Way of the Fraser Valley.
We organized a summer reading challenge for children, encouraging them to read 100 books before the end of August. I also maintained a blog sharing reading recommendations, literacy resources, photographs, and updates with our Kickstarter backers.
The project even received a Painted Perfection distinction from the Little Free Library organization.
By March 2016, Skookum had circulated 814 books.
But what I remember most isn’t the number of books. It’s the generosity of the people who made it possible.
People contributed money, books, craftsmanship, time, and encouragement. Some were friends and family. Others were complete strangers who simply believed in the idea.
Liam James Leaven
Matthieu Herblin
Nathan
Molly Celaschi
Nick Reise
Chad Ermacora
Benjamin Bagenski
Legends of Enlightenment
MARSHA LAYMAN
Nicholas Charles Cooney
Paula Leyton
Franz D’Orlando
Jas Panag
Nick Yonge
Simon Linder
Megan Clark
Kyra Davis
Ken Pawlik
Will Anzenberger
forwardslash
Ian Harvey
Andrea Strachan
Eoin A. Bates
Billy Thornton
Phrostylicious Productions
Dimitri Krassovski
Michael Grant
Donna Alary
Bojan Zimonja
Mihnea S.
Waybury
Elizabeth DiSabato
Tim Crisall
Ramin A. Fathie / Viceroy Films
Niek Veenstra
Robert Pettifer
Ian Linkletter
Karsten Elkjær
jack burns
Kimberly S. Pseudonym
Tieg Zaharia
Jacqueline Allen
Alexander T. Brown
Failbetter Games
Joshua Friedland
Antoine Atallah
Thomas Hansen
Pedro Maciel
Robert Steenkamp
Balázs Srancsik
Mark Bowers
Ondrej
Carla
Chad Burns
Zach Lumberjack Allex
Ellen Fleischer
Zael
Lynette
Belinda Fernandez
Kilmeny Jane Denny
Deborah Gohrke
Katie Needs
James
Kevin Rush
A Small Experiment in Community Building
Looking back, I find it interesting that something so small required many of the same ingredients as much larger projects I’ve been involved with since: a clear purpose, a willingness to experiment, community partnerships, and enough persistence to see an idea through.
There was also a degree of vulnerability involved. Launching a Kickstarter campaign meant making an idea public and accepting that it might fail.
In a blog post I wrote in October 2013, I reflected on how liberating it was to relinquish some control and allow others to decide whether the project deserved their support.
They did.
And in doing so, they helped create something that extended well beyond my original plans.
Thirteen Years Later
I still think there’s something rather wonderful about a little wooden structure filled with books, sitting outdoors and asking nothing of the people who visit it.
No membership fees. No registration. No complicated technology. Just books, curiosity, and an invitation to participate.
Thirteen years later, I’m reminded that community initiatives don’t necessarily need large budgets or elaborate infrastructure to make a meaningful contribution. Sometimes they begin with one person, a slightly ambitious idea, and 65 people willing to help make it happen.
To everyone who supported Skookum Reads!, donated books, helped build it, or stopped by to borrow a novel: thank you.
It was a small project with a rather big heart.
And I’m very glad I took the chance.
Cheers,
Jacqueline
From the archives: Skookum Reads! Little Free Library | Kickstarting a Kickstarter
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