Help out by donating books to the library | Letters | May 15

Published 11:41 am Friday, May 15, 2009

As the economy sinks, library use rises, and that’s happening on Bainbridge as well as in the rest of the country.

But on the island, the community has teamed with Friends of the Library to provide significant support for the Bainbridge Public Library and the increasing numbers of patrons it serves.

Every day, islanders donate boxes of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes to the Library. The Friends’ volunteers sort and price them, and then sell them during three sales every month: donated books magically converted into financial support for library programs that serve the community’s children and adults.

The funds also purchase books requested by the community and subscriptions for many of the magazines you find on the shelves.

The community’s generosity has been such that in 2007, Friends were able to establish, and continue to support, the Friends of the Library Endowment. The endowment will provide one more source of support and maintenance for our library far into the future.

Next time you clean out your book shelves, please donate those books to the library and become a member of a very special team.

Book sales are announced in the community events section of the Bainbridge Review and on the Friends’ website, www.bifriends.org where you will also find information about local authors, library programs, how to volunteer and much more. Friends of the Library is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and your donations are tax-deductible.

Charles Browne, president

Patricia Miller, vice president

Friends of the Library