When the Bedford Free Public Library closed in March, the Friends of the Library “bookies” were hard at work preparing for the annual Spring book sale, a major source of revenue for the group.
Enter the pandemic and everything came to a halt. But, in the words of Friends’ Treasurer Joel Shwimer, “We can survive even a pandemic.”
Shwimer’s report, delivered at the Friends’ annual meeting on December 5, showed a net worth of $119,000 for the organization. And despite losing the three major book sales of the year –the Spring, Bedford Day, and December holiday sales-the Friends will continue to provide support for many Library programs, including the ever-popular Professor Dan Breen lecture series that will start at the end of January (by Zoom.)
With book sales out of the picture, the Friends soon came up with an innovative online “Bookstore,” that’s become increasingly popular in the short time since it began. Board member Margaret Jackson was a key player in getting the Bookstore launched. Janice Weichman helped develop the colorful Bookstore page that describes how to buy a bag of books for $10 (in many genres, including Christmas cooking, adult fiction, and non-fiction, children’s, and more). A volunteer will then deliver your purchases to your door. https://friendsofthebedfordlibrary.wildapricot.org/Shop
To date, some 200 bags have been filled, generating about $1000 per month. Board member Robin Grace first pushed the idea of the bookstore. The team assembling the book bags includes Kaye Spofford, Beverley Matthews, Susan Rogalski, and Lisa Felice. The baggers must work fast, as they are only allowed to be in the Library between 5:30 and 7 pm, four days a week. Of course, as Friends President Rogalski said, the online store can’t replace the big book sales, but it’s an indicator of the Friends’ resourcefulness in the face of a huge challenge.
A recent Library program supported by the Friends is Scholastic Teachables, originally designed for parents who are homeschooling their children and appealing today to the many parents whose kids are learning remotely. Museum passes are another major offering provided by the Friends and although this program, too, has come to a temporary halt, it’s noteworthy that in the first quarter of 2020, the most requested passes were to the Aquarium, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Discovery Museum. Library Director Richard Callaghan noted the Library is working on making some museum passes available next month.
The annual meeting acknowledged with gratitude the retirement of long-time member and volunteer Janet Schimelfenyg. The president also paid tribute to James Purvis, a devoted “bookie” and scholar whose knowledge was invaluable to the Friends in sorting book donations. Purvis died in November.
Officers for the coming year are:
- Susan Rogalski and Bonnie Kelly, Co-Presidents (continuing)
- Margaret Jackson and Renee O’Donnell, Co-Vice Presidents (continuing)
- Linda Connelly, Secretary
- Joel Shwimer, Treasurer (continuing)
- Board members: Sheila Albrecht, Gyasi Burks-Abbott, Sabine Gossart, Robin Grace, Sue Harris, Beverly and Greg Matthews, Elaine Shwimer, Janice Weichman, Jerry Wolf, Linda and Bruce Young, and Janice Weichman.
Loading ...
