Alexandra Broyles is one unusual librarian.

First of all, her library contains only 30 or so titles. Second, it’s on her lawn. And finally, she’s seldom there to stop books from disappearing.

That’s how it works on the corner of Ridge Avenue and Burrowes Road in the College Heights neighborhood.

Broyles maintains State College’s Little Free Library, the local branch of a national network. Based in Wisconsin, the nonprofit Little Free Library program allows people to become stewards of tiny libraries that allow readers to borrow, take and replace books at will.

Stewards build libraries according to guidelines, but then are free to decorate them as they wish. After Broyles’ husband, Jim, built hers — charter No. 0890 — from free plans in May and stuck it on a post, she decorated it as a miniature version of her brown Tudor-style home.

Other designs at the organization’s website, www.littlefreelibrary.org, include an old red English phonebooth.

When Broyles learned about the program online, she knew it was for her.

“Because I love books and I love little houses,” she said. “This was speaking to me.”

She wrote to the organization and within a week was officially a Little Free Library steward. Since a small block party heralded the library’s opening, Broyles has been replenishing her stock — mostly literature but some gardening books and children’s stories — to keep up with readers discovering the town’s latest literary outlet.

“I try to find a little bit of everything,” she said.

A recent find of children’s books from a sale near Indian Lake, N.Y., where she has a summer home, might find its way to library soon. Broyles, a volunteer with the annual AAUW book sale at Penn State, always looks for fresh titles.

“I just have books in my life everywhere,” she said. “It just seemed like a natural thing for me to do.”

Among the books recently behind the glass door were a set of four Barbara Kingsolver novels and Raymond Chandler’s “The Little Sister” — all waiting for the right reader.

“Free, that’s the operative word, free to come and free to go,” Broyles said. “I just think it’s the coolest thing.”

Readers can donate to the library, but it’s not a requirement. Broyles said people have respected the library and kept it intact. Neighbors help by keeping an eye on it.

The most it has drawn has been a few surprised looks.

“Everybody who walks by either does a double take or comes by and opens the door,” Broyles said.

As the librarian, she prefers not to hover, but instead enjoy her patrons’ delight from a distance.

“On my porch, I can hear someone say, “I’m on my way to the library,’ ” she said. “And they mean me.”