Hello Book Thing friends,

As promised, we have been thinking about how we can give books away!

We will be holding a special outdoor book give-away event on Sunday 7/26. 

Please understand that this will NOT be a normal weekend at The Book Thing. Keeping things safe, simple, and fair is our main concern. We will not be able to serve as many patrons as we can under normal, indoor circumstances. If you are able to hold off on your book fix and wait for a future giveaway, please do so. Social distancing rules will be in place on the 26th, but we will be unable to make extra accommodations for high-risk individuals. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Masks are required. Bring your own. We cannot serve anyone who is not wearing a mask. We recommend you bring your own hand sanitizer as well.
  • Hours are tentatively set for 9a-5p.  We may close early in the event of afternoon rain or excessive heat.
  • Rain date TBD.
  • Books will be arranged in boxes spaced out on the ground in the rear parking lot by the mural. You will need to stoop and lift the books you want. A socially-distanced line of patrons will advance through the array of boxes, giving everyone the opportunity to select books.
  • The books will be totally unsorted. There is no guarantee that you will find the particular genres, authors, or titles you’re looking for. The boxes of books will be replenished more or less continuously by volunteers.
  • You will need to count your books and sign out when you exit the line.
  • All patrons must be through the line and signed out before 5p.  Depending on the length of the line in the late afternoon, the “last admittance” to enter the line may be well before 5p.
  • We will not be accepting any book donations.
  • The building is closed to the public, and we cannot allow any patrons inside. There is no outdoor restroom. Please plan accordingly.
  • This is an outdoor event, and it may be hot. The line will be long. Bring water, sunscreen, a hat, a parasol or umbrella, etc. There will be no place to sit, and little shade.
  • Please bring your own bag or box to put your books in if you want to adopt more than an armful of books.
  • Even if you’re “quarantining” with family or roommates, you will need to go through the line alone: we cannot allow clusters of people, even if they are together.
  • A parent may be accompanied by a single child, and every child must be accompanied by one (and only one) adult.  We will not have separate boxes for kids’ books. This event isn’t great for kids.
  • You may go through the line more than once.
  • For the safety of volunteers and patrons who may be severely allergic, please don’t wear powdered latex gloves.
  • There will be limited parking available in the lot in front of our building. There is also street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. There will be no parking in the rear lot by the mural.
  • We are not able to accept walk-up volunteers at this event.

Thank you for your patience and understanding with the rules of this book giveaway. We realize that it will be harder to find the books you want, and that the wait in line may be long and hot. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our volunteers, staff, and you — our community!  We do not have the ability to run an indoor event safely at this time, but we desperately want to find a way to give books away to the public.  We will learn from how things go on the 26th and adjust for the future. Please consider this event as an errand to pick up needed reading or educational material, not as a fun weekend outing.

If you are interested in volunteering on the 26th, you may fill out the Contact form.  We anticipate staffing this book give-away primarily with experienced volunteers, but we will get in touch if we need extra hands.