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By Geena Matuson
Hometown Weekly Staff
While Medfield Memorial Public Library is always highly populated, the evening of Tuesday, May 30 boasted quite the crowd. The Grand Opening Celebration of the Friends Bookstore highlighted the bookstore’s move to the Jane Archer room on the library’s main level, and was host to more than sixty patrons alongside the Friends and library staff. To honor this success and bring awareness to bookstore offerings, a library-themed cake, assorted refreshments, and Friends book bags and buttons were shared among supporters throughout the evening.
The bookstore was teeming with activity as people discovered new books, CDs and DVDs in the new bookstore space, a partnership between the library and the Friends of Medfield Public Library. Friends is a volunteer community organization that donates over $20,000 to the library annually, funding community-enriching programs that are beyond the scope of the library’s operating budget, along with scholarship opportunities and grants, events and more. The highly-attended Friends’ Half-Price Book Sales have been a staple of the bookstore, connecting patrons with new and older works they might otherwise overlook. As the grand opening event made the space official, these book sales will start anew in mid-June, falling on the last Saturday of each month.
The store relies on donations, welcoming books and assorted media with a noted emphasis on children’s books as they continue to expand into the new space. Donations can be made during library hours and can be placed inside the library’s donation closet or directly with a librarian. It is stressed that you make your donations during library hours, as items left outside may become weather damaged. These new donations are sorted each and every week, with the new stock quickly added to the bookstore. Collected items are shelved and organized thanks largely to FOL Board Members Sue Wilson and Karen Anszperger, who also volunteer their time in the library to assist patrons and continue partnership efforts.
Books typically range from $0.50 to about $3, and all funds collected through the bookstore return to the library. Visitors may conveniently purchase their books directly at the front desk with any librarian, now just steps away. Members of the community are invited to follow Friends of the Medfield Public Library for updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/friendsofmedfieldlibrary, and learn more at www.medfieldlibrary.org/friends.
