Suburban Chicago man has painted 100 mini-libraries and counting for his community
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (CBS) -- A Mount Prospect man's garage is his home studio and workshop – and he gives everything he builds to the community.
What Joey Carbone builds are mini-libraries – and he has been doing it since 2019. As CBS 2's Noel Brennan reported Friday, Carbone is about to reach a big milestone.
Carbone hasn't parked his car in his garage in years, as he needs it for his passion. He parks himself in the garage day after day – building the mini-libraries.
"A lot of people say, 'Hey, are you the library guy?'" Carbone said. "I'm like, 'Yeah, that is what they call me.'"
When a neighbor requests a library, Carbone makes use of generous donations – items such as screws, glue, and shingles – to make any design come to life.
Carbone showed us one library built for a boy with an unusual request.
"He wanted a library very specific to have the Mario characters with pickles in their hands," Carbone said. "So they all have pickles."
Indeed, Mario has a pickle in his hand on the blue library, while Yoshi has his tongue through one.
"I love that one," Carbone said. "That was fun to paint."
Carbone's nonprofit put mini-libraries all over the map in Mount Prospect and neighboring communities – free of charge.
"Look at all this access to literacy we put out there," Carbone said.
And he's about to finish his 100th library in the neighborhood.
"Yes! It's incredible." Carbone said.
We met some library recipients.
"The wait list to get one of these is just crazy," said one woman who got the 35th mini-library. "I'm surprised people aren't bribing him."
"One hundred is wonderful," said one woman who was the 62nd recipient. "Hopefully, we get to 200."
If you're wondering where to find the first mini-library, as you might guess, Carbone himself has it.
"It's my first baby," he said, "I don't have to fill it up. The neighbors will come and fill it up. Got to keep number one original."
Thanks to Carbone, no one in Mount Prospect has to go far to find a good book.
"Even with our kids, if we don't have time to go to the library, we just go to the front yard," said recipient No. 35.
Our kids always check it to see what's been added, what's been taken," added recipient number 68.
And Carbone is going to keep going.
"As long as I can move, I'm going to keep building them," he said.
Mini though the libraries may be, there's nothing small about Carbone's efforts.
"I mean, the guy has such an amazing heart," said recipient No. 35. "We love him."
