This was the fourth year that the book sale has been held at Sacred Heart Church, and once again Father Ted Hall proved to be an ideal space. The church allows us to use this wonderful location free of charge, and its staff and parishioners have been most welcoming – we are so grateful!
The annual three-day book sale netted just over $15,000, a generous sum that will enable the Friends of KML to continue to enrich the library by funding programs, museum passes, and perhaps some furniture when the Main Street library re-opens. This sale could not have happened without the many, many volunteers who moved books into the church on moving day, cashiered, and helped pack up afterwards. Thank you!
We had such enthusiastic buyers this year, that we had far fewer unsold books at the sale’s end than in recent years. Since we’re not able to store many books at present (see below), places that benefited from our leftover books included the Traveler Restaurant in Union, Connecticut; local prisons; a nearby nursing home; needy schools in Bridgeport and Harlem; and Suffield Middle School. A large selection of leftover books were set out at half-price on the Friends’ book carts at the library, and leftover DVDs are available for free in the library lobby!
For the past 4½ years, Suffield resident Kevin Armata has provided a large area in his WMG warehouse in Windsor Locks for the Friends to sort and store books. That warehouse space is now needed for other purposes, so, with the help of volunteers and the Town of Suffield’s Public Works Department, all of our book sale supplies were permanently moved out of the warehouse in August and early September. The Friends’ thirty tables are being stored at Bridge Street School.
But since we no longer have a place to sort and store books, it appeared that the book sale’s future was in jeopardy. First Selectman Melissa Mack has been working hard to help us find a new space; at this point the results look promising.
The October 6 book collection is cancelled because we currently have no storage space. But please do save your donations, since we hope to resume book collections in November. Library staff can provide up-to-date information.