I love events that become traditions even if they didn't start out that way. And this Friday marks the kick-off of the fall edition of one of my favorites, the biannual Friends of Otis Library book sale.
Our daughter and I go every fall and spring and I've been preparing for this by eating double portions of carrots at every meal and hitting the mirror at the gym to practice my eye rolls because I want to be ready to read when it's time to crack open a few books.
I've offered the words which follow previously and don't mind repeating them because this event is important to the library and it should be to each of us.
The book sale begins this Friday morning with a sneak preview from nine to ten which attracts collectors from across the Northeast (check out the license plates on the cars parked in a two-block area around the library) who gladly pay $10 for the head start it allows them on all manner of goodies and great deals.
There's no reason to fear that all the good stuff will be gone by the time we get there because the basement is always filled with treasures waiting to be discovered, purchased for pennies on the dollar and taken to a new home.
I have tsundoku and my doctors say there's really no cure. I don't suffer from it so much as enjoy it and the Otis Book Sale is an opportunity to hang out with other bibliotaphs shuffling between the shelves, not sure exactly what we're looking for until we find it. And judging by the increases in attendance for every sale, I'd say more and more of us are finding what we're seeking.
The book sale is open to everyone from ten until three on both Friday and Saturday and from noon until three on Sunday. It's a great way to refresh your home shelves (I probably need to buy some more) which is already a terrific reason but, in light of the current fiscal challenges libraries across the state are facing as a result of the Governor's Executive Order (because of the lack of a state budget), the money raised from the three-day sale helps keep the lights on the doors open at Otis.
Libraries, and I'm thinking the Otis in particular, are far so much more than the sum of the goods and services they offer to their communities which can make it difficult to put an accurate price tag on their value for all of us throughout the community who use them.
What is Otis worth to you or your family aside from a trip downtown to rummage through the shelves and bag yourself some bargains? Check out this item on I found on the American Library Association's website, the "Library Value Calculator," and be prepared for a surprise.
I've spoken before about the oft-mentioned 'problems with downtown parking' myth, and that's the word I use because it is a myth. I think what many people mean is they cannot take their car with them into the library. But cheer up, there's plenty of free municipal parking with hundreds of spaces no more than a four-minute walk. And we are wearing shoes....
Browsing for book bargains can cause you to get awfully hungry so I'd make the time before or after hitting the library to grab a bite at one of the restaurants along whatever path you choose to use to get to the library. There are tables for every taste and plates for every palette, all steps away from the library and one another at Franklin Square. And you'll have a chance to check out first-hand how much more alive downtown is since the last time you looked.
A cynic, I'm told knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. At the Friends of Otis Library Book Sale, show you know how valuable this regional resource is to you, and buy a bag of books. Borrow my glasses and buy two bags.
-bill kenny
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