Hello Book Thing friends,

At our April event, patrons adopted 5,165 books and 39 “non-books.”  Despite a foggy start to the morning, the weather cooperated and the line was quite short throughout the day.  Please come see us in May!

Upcoming events

Pandemic and weather permitting, we continue our series of public openings on the second full weekend of each month throughout the summer. As usual, we’re alternating between Saturday and Sunday.

  • Sun May 9 (Mother’s Day) – see below, no book donations accepted
  • Sat June 12 – details TBD
  • Sun July 11 – details TBD
  • Sat Aug 14 – details TBD

If you need a large number of books and you’re not picky about exactly which ones, please reach out a week or so ahead of time via the Contact form on our website to see if we can help you out with a “bulk” donation.

We will NOT be taking book donations on May 9, but we are in the process of scheduling a day soon when book donations will be accepted.  A quantity limit will be in place.

We do hope to be able to hold indoor events as the summer advances.  Expect a timed entry format with a strict capacity limit.  We’ll keep you posted.

Outdoor book giveaway: Sunday, May 9, 9am-2pm

The May book giveaway will once again be in the back parking lot by the mural. Social distancing rules will be in place. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Masks are required, even if you’re vaccinated.
  • The event is weather permitting. We will cancel for rain.
  • Book donations will not be accepted; please don’t bring us any books, magazines, or media on 5/9!
  • A parent may be accompanied by one (and only one) child, and every child must be accompanied by one adult.
  • All patrons must be through the line and signed out by 2pm. Judging from past experience, “last admittance” to enter the line may be around 1:15pm… because we want everyone who waits in the line to have a chance to browse.
  • 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.
  • You will find three boxes of books per station. The mix will be approximately 25% kids’ books, 30% paperback fiction, and 45% unsorted books from other categories. Volunteers will refresh the books throughout the event. A limited number of magazines, CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records will also be available.
  • Please don’t cross the chalk lines into the volunteer areas, and please don’t skip around the person in front of you without permission from Book Thing volunteers. Some patrons need longer to browse than others and we don’t want to rush anyone, but we also work to keep the line moving.
  • Take as many books as you can, and distribute them to your family, friends, and community!
  • The building will be closed to the public. There is no outdoor restroom. Please plan accordingly.
  • Please dress for the weather. There will be no place to sit, though you may bring your own stool or seated walker and move it with you as the line advances.
  • We will have some boxes available to hold the books you adopt, but our box supply may be limited so this is “while supplies last.”
  • Try not to come as a group. If possible, send only one person from your household. We prefer to have just one person browsing at each station, but we can allow pairs of “quarantine buddies” (just not larger groups).
  • You will need to count your items and sign out when you exit.
  • Please get in line more than once and adopt lots of books!

Once again, thank you so much for your patience and understanding. We still know you want to come inside.  We still desperately want to let you inside, and we know you would adopt many more books that way, which would make us very, very happy. But our ventilation is poor and our shelves are very close together, so even if you might feel safe ducking in for 30 or 45 minutes in a limited entry format with all the usual precautions, our volunteers would be at a much higher risk staying all day to staff the event and restock the shelves. We won’t ask that of them.

If you are interested in volunteering on May 9th, you may fill out the Contact form.  We anticipate staffing this book giveaway primarily with experienced volunteers, but we will get in touch if we need extra hands.