The man who sparked a worldwide reading and book sharing movement in neighbourhoods has died due to complications from pancreatic cancer. 

Todd Bol, the found of Little Free Library (LFL), passed away in hospice care in Minnesota, on Thursday, October 18, according to a release from LFL. 

The organization said that "Todd spent much of the last decade working towards his vision of a world where neighbours know each other by name, and everyone has access to books. He was heartened by the network of more than 75,000 Little Free Library stewards around the world dedicated to literacy and community."

Bol started the first library in 2009, at his home in Hudson, Wisconsin, according to the Hudson State Journal (HSJ).

He built it as a tribute to his mother, "who was a teacher and a book lover. He put up a miniature version of a one-room schoolhouse on a post outside his home, filled it with books and invited neighbours to borrow them."

A neighbour, Rick Brooks, appreciated the idea and soon partnered with Bol. They would found a nonprofit organization to promote the libraries according to HSJ.

Little Free Libraries are now found in 88 countries, with over 75,000 libraries, and millions of books exchanged annually according to the organization's website.

There are hundreds of libraries spread throughout Manitoba.

Bol was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just earlier this month. 

In an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune after his diagnosis, he told the paper, “If I may be so bold, I’m the most successful person I know,” Bol said, with a sideways smile, “because I stimulate 54 million books to be read and neighbours to talk to each other. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the very definition of success.

“If people get along and work together and share books, I’ll take that over Billionaire Bob’s money,” he continued.