Hello Book Thing friends,

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our May book giveaway! Patrons adopted 3,437 books and 189 “non-books.”  We had a quiet, steady turnout despite the Mother’s Day holiday.

Upcoming events

We will 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. Here’s the exciting part: we will FINALLY be letting patrons inside the building in a timed, limited-entry format! June will be the first time since the start of the pandemic that the general public is allowed inside. Given that change, there are some important rules you’ll need to know, so please read this entire announcement. We will accept book donations in both June and July.  A quantity limit of 4 boxes will be in place. Keep reading…

  • Sat June 12 from 9a-2p/4p – book donations accepted until 2pm only, last entrance for browsing is at 4pm. Please see below for details.
  • Sun July 11 – book donations accepted, details TBD
  • Sat Aug 14 – no book donations, details TBD

Indoor book giveaway: Saturday, June 12, 9am-4pm

We will allow patrons into the building to select their own books, using a timed, limited-entry format. All lines will form outdoors. Dress for the weather, bring an umbrella if it’s rainy, etc. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Masks are required, even if you are vaccinated.
  • 35 patrons will be permitted to enter on the hour each hour from 9am to 4pm. The first entrance will be at 9am, and the last entrance at 4pm.
  • Patrons will have 50 minutes to browse our stacks, select their books, and exit the building. The time limit will be strictly enforced.
  • Upon exiting, patrons will form an outdoor line to count their books and sign out. Yes, even if it’s raining.
  • Patrons are responsible for their own social distancing inside the building.
  • A parent may be accompanied by one (and only one) child, and every child must be accompanied by one adult.
  • If a patron exits early, a new patron who is waiting may enter on “stand by” and use the remainder of the 50 minute time slot. This new patron will not be permitted to stay beyond the end of the time slot, extend into the next time slot, or hold their original place in line for a later time slot. “Stand by” entry means you accept that you will have less than 50 minutes to browse.
  • We can’t take reservations, but if the line for entry is very long, we will do our best to let you know when you’ll be able to come inside (much as restaurants that don’t accept reservations used to do before the pandemic).  Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
  • The restroom will be available, but you will not be permitted to enter the building to use it except when it is your turn to be inside browsing for books.  Please plan accordingly.
  • Spare boxes will be available to hold your books.

Book donations (9a-2p)

We will open the book donation window on June 12 from 9am to 2pm only.  This is our first of two scheduled book donation days in summer 2021. To be honest, we don’t need book donations just now. We still have a huge backlog of boxed books in our off-site warehouse, and the pandemic has made it hard to get them sorted and given away. But we know many of you have been saving books for us to share with the rest of the community, and we’re grateful for that!

  • Book donation hours are 9am-2pm on 6/12. If we have to cancel the book giveaway for any reason, the book donation hours will also be cancelled.
  • The donation limit will be 4 boxes per family. Boxes must be small enough that one person can lift them when full.
  • We will accept all types of books (and magazines) except encyclopedia sets.
  • We will accept all types of mixed media except cassette tapes. Reminder: no home-made content, please.
  • All incoming book donations must be counted. This is a new policy for our nonprofit reinstatement. We are learning how to do this efficiently; thank you in advance for your understanding.
  • Please don’t bring us books that are moldy, sticky, stinky, or missing pages/covers.
  • Unfortunately, we can’t come pick up book donations, nor can we help you unload them from your vehicle.
  • We can only accept book donations as outlined above. If you leave books outside of donation hours, you may be cited by the City for illegal dumping.

If you are interested in volunteering on June 12th, 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.