It didn’t take residents of the Burton peninsula long to figure what the new birdhouse-like structure outside Collin Hennessey and Lin Holley’s home was. In fact, the eclectic set of books inside has turned over quickly, as passersby took the couple up on their sign’s offer to “take a book, leave a book.”

The Little Free Library is now one of about 15,000 such book nooks worldwide, many of which are registered at the nonprofit’s website, www.littlefreelibrary.org.

Hennessey and Holley moved about a year ago from Seattle, where Holley said the small, often artful libraries were “reproducing” with 130 and counting. They recently decided to install their own on the Burton loop, and Holley, a skilled artist who has shown work at Silverwood and the Blue Heron, adorned the sides with quotes about reading etched into iridescent metal.

“We hope it sustains itself,” Hennessey said. “It’s a little contribution to the neighborhood.”