Too many donations at Barrington library

Officials ask residents to delay donating books to 'Friends'

Posted 4/23/19

Too many books — not enough storage. 

Officials at Barrington Public Library are asking people who were planning to donate books to the Friends of the Library group to delay their …

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Too many donations at Barrington library

Officials ask residents to delay donating books to 'Friends'

Posted

Too many books — not enough storage. 

Officials at Barrington Public Library are asking people who were planning to donate books to the Friends of the Library group to delay their donations for about a month. 

Barrington Public Library Director Kris Chin said there is not enough storage space at the library to hold any more donated items. She said the collection boxes are already filled with books and the sorting room used by volunteers to hold donations is overflowing. Cardboard boxes, shopping bags and plastic milk crates are piled three and four rows deep.

"It's just too crammed right now," said Ms. Chin. 

The library director said the volunteer organization wants to thank all the people who have donated recently and suggested that residents hold onto their soon-to-be-donated books for one more month. If they must get rid of the items, Ms. Chin suggested the people give the books to another organization.

The donated books play an important role in the programs offered at Barrington Public Library. Ms. Chin said the Friends of the Library use income made from the sale of the donated books to support programming at the library. 

"They fund over 90 percent of the library programs," said Ms. Chin. "It's a lot of support."

Programming includes concerts at the library, entertainers, new computers and flatscreen television monitors. 

"They're an amazing group," Ms. Chin said. She specifically mentioned the volunteer work of Joyce Van Sluyter, who helps organize the book sales at the library. 

The Friends of the Library offers books for sale on a shelf near the main entrance of the library. The group regularly puts fresh titles for sale — the books are sold at discounted prices, ranging from $1 to $5. 

Meanwhile, many residents donate gently used books periodically. The books are kept in a sorting room until volunteers are able to check them and bring some to the sale shelf. Occasionally, the volunteers will come across a special book that could fetch a higher price.

"Joyce said the most expensive book they have received was a four-volume set about the impeachment proceedings of Bill Clinton," Ms. Chin wrote in a recent email. "It sold on the internet for $550 from which the Friends received $225."

Ms. Chin said the financial support from the Friends of the Library is not used for daily operation of the public library. Tax dollars cover the bulk of the library's operating budget, including salaries and benefits for the workers. Ms. Chin said some of the money from the town is used for programming also. 

The Friends of the Library do not accept some items, such as textbooks, Readers Digest magazines and encyclopedias. 

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.