Hello Book Thing friends,

We had more cold, wet weather last month – the second month in a row of bad weather on the day of our giveaway.  Here’s hoping for better in April and as spring advances!  Despite rain and snow, patrons adopted 7,645 books and 220 non-books at our March opening.  We also accepted donations totaling 2,582 books and 535 non-books.  We love it when we give away more books than we take in – it feels good to make progress on our backlog!  A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered, adopted books, or donated.

Upcoming events

We will continue our series of book giveaways falling on the second full weekend of the month throughout the spring, pandemic permitting. Our events always alternate between Saturday and Sunday.

  • Sun, Apr 10 from 9a-4p (last entrance). Please see below for details. No book donations
  • Sat, May 14 – details TBD, no book donations
  • Sun, June 12 – details TBD, no book donations

Indoor book giveaway: Sunday, April 10, 9am-4pm

We will allow patrons into the building to select their own books on April 10th, using a timed-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 still required for all patrons. Please remember to bring one.
  • 75 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. All patrons must exit before 5pm.
  • The line is generally longest for the morning entrances.
  • Patrons will have 55 minutes to browse our stacks, select their books, and exit the building. The time limit will be strictly enforced. You may get back in line.
  • Upon exiting, patrons will form an outdoor line to count their books and sign out. Yes, even if it’s raining.
  • If a patron exits early, a new patron who is waiting may enter on “stand by” and use the remainder of the 55 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 55 minutes to browse.
  • Please don’t be deterred by our timed-entry format. It helps keep the line moving so that you get a chance to browse sooner. When we’re busy, it also lets us serve more total patrons. (And if things are slow, we adapt. In March, the weather was so crummy that we often didn’t have a line at all… and this allowed us to eliminate the 55-min time limit.)
  • 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. Many kids aren’t vaccinated yet. Please make sure your child wears a mask.
  • Patrons will enter through the red room door and exit through the blue room door.
  • The restroom will be available, but you will not be permitted to enter the building to use it except when it’s your turn to be inside browsing for books. Please plan accordingly.
  • Spare boxes will be available to hold your books.

What about book donations and volunteering?

We just held two book donation days in February and March. They were the only donation days on the calendar for early 2022.  We’re still working through the backlog of unsorted books from our off-site warehouse, so the next donation days have not been scheduled. They are likely to be in the fall.  Please see our Donate page for more information.

If you are interested in volunteering with us in the future, please fill out the Contact form.  We have started to move forward on trainings for small groups of new volunteers for the first time since the start of the pandemic.