East Helena Little Free Library honors friend’s memory, community responds

Angie Cejka turned a small stretch of 118 E. Riggs St. in East Helena into a memorial for her friend Tonia Docter, building a colorful Little Free Library after Docter died in May. Cejka said the box reflects Docter’s personality and her habit of caring for other people, making the street-corner library both a tribute and a neighborhood stop for books.

The little structure was designed to serve more than one kind of reader. Cejka stocked it for children, crafters and young adults, and she added a separate box of toys for dogs. One of Docter’s friends donated paint for the whimsical design, giving the memorial a bright look that stands out on the block.

The response has been immediate. Cejka said she has already had to restock the library twice as neighbors and passersby take books and leave others behind. That kind of turnover has turned the box into a small exchange point, with people bringing titles for different ages and interests so it can keep serving the same street where Docter’s memory now lives.

Cejka said she told Docter about the idea before she died, and Docter wanted the library to be a quiet place of peace, love and inclusion. Cejka said the project is meant to keep her friend’s memory alive, and she hopes to add hats for children in the winter, so the same little box can help on cold mornings as well as summer afternoons.

The East Helena memorial also fits into a larger local push to keep books close to home. Little Free Library says there are now more than 200,000 of its book-sharing boxes worldwide, and it offers maps, an app and free plans for people who want to build their own. In East Helena, that broader movement comes as the Lewis and Clark Library Foundation has launched a capital campaign for a new branch facility, and the Lewis and Clark Library says its East Helena branch has served the community for about 25 years, including about 15 years in a Main Street building.