The Return of a Friend

As I've mentioned, I'm not a fan of  Autumn but will gladly welcome the return of an Autumnal tradition we all missed last year and because it's been a little longer than I'd have liked, I've been getting prepared for it by having my eyeglasses steamed clean so that this weekend, I can, and will, rival Clark Kent for visual acuity (and bulk purchasing carrots was also a pretty good idea).

I'm prepping, as I'm hoping you may have already guessed, for the Friends of Otis Library Book Sale which kicks off this Friday morning and runs through Sunday afternoon at three.

This Friday morning will feature a sneak preview from nine to ten that collectors from across the Northeast gladly pay $10 for the head start that is well worth the money because it allows them all manner of goodies and great deals, but there's no need to fret because there's a basement chock full of hardcover and paperback books, compact discs, audio cassettes (remember them? I do. Ouch!), and DVDs, of every genre and description.

If you're going to tell me you'd love to go but <sigh> there's always 'problems with parking,' please stop right there. The truth of the matter is when we say 'problems with parking' about downtown Norwich what we really mean in this case is we cannot take our cars into the library with us. Point in fact, there's plenty of municipal parking with hundreds of spaces no more than a four-minute walk from the Library. Just walk.

And it's okay to take a break from the book browsing to grab a bite at one of the restaurants that seem to be everywhere on every path from the library. What kind of food do you want for lunch-it's right there, steps away from Franklin Square or should I say Franklin Rotary Square-good deals on great meals.

The book sale is a terrific way to stock up your home shelves (in my case we might need to buy some more and find space for them), but, in light of the ongoing financial challenges facing libraries across our state (and nation) as budget 'corrections' (a/k/a reductions) continue to cut deeply into programs, people and resources, the money raised from the three-day sale helps keep the O in Otis. Actually, it could be the T as well, I'm not always sure.

What I am sure about is that libraries are vastly more than the sum of the goods and services they offer which too often means it's very difficult to put an accurate price tag on their value to all of us throughout the community who use them. We're fortunate here in Connecticut that there are so many inter-library programs in place across the state. Library patrons in Norwich can avail themselves of products and services from larger metro areas with more plentiful resources. 

But, and without intending to harsh your pre-book sale buzz, it's the same old story every year when state and municipal budgets are configured, Someone, somewhere, gets a little less and is expected to still do a little more and there's always a chance that library patron services can be constrained or curtailed, casualties of fiscal hostile fire, which is why the dollars raised by the Friends of Otis are even more important than they already always are.

What is Otis worth to you or your family aside from a trip downtown to rummage through the shelves and bag some bargains? Check out this page What's Your Library Worth? and brace yourself for an answer that may very much surprise you.

A cynic, I'm told, knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. At this weekend's Friends of Otis Library, Book Sale prove that 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