It has to be one of the smallest libraries around. But it never closes, doesn’t require a user card and there’s no such thing as an overdue book.

The library, a kitchen cupboard in an earlier existence, holds an eclectic array of books free for the taking or exchange. It’s at East Sixth Avenue and 10th Street next to a flight of wooden stairs leading to the Centennial Nature Trail.

Barbara Balaguer Blundell and Charlotte Overby, who live nearby, got the idea when they learned about the Little Free Library movement rapidly gaining popularity across the country. Googling the term produces many hits.

The Little Free Library movement is a community-driven effort to make literature of any genre readily available. The tiny libraries, often housed in suitcase-sized structures, work on the honor system. Take a book, leave another one if possible.

Balaguer Blundell is a self-employed communications consultant. Overby works at the Durango-based Conservation Lands Foundation.

They dolled up the cupboard with a small window, a coat of paint and a roof to protect against the elements, and named the establishment the ADU Library. The acronym pokes fun at accessory dwelling unit, a topic of recent Durango City Council discussions about easing housing density to get roofs over the heads of more people.

“We’re both avid readers and had books we no longer wanted,” Balaguer Blundell said Thursday while showing the pair’s handiwork. “We knew it was a success when we checked the box and found titles that hadn’t belonged to us.”

Andy White, director of the Durango Public Library, supports any method that gets more books in circulation.

“It’s a neat idea,” White said. “Share the road, share the read are great concepts.”

Libby Cowles with Maria’s Bookshop doesn’t know of any other Little Free Library nearby.

“We love it that they’re taking the lead in getting books into the community,” Cowles said. “This goes a long way in getting books into the hands of readers.”

daler@durangoherald.com