By Page H. Gifford
Correspondent
The Friends of the Library Board met almost a month ago and decided to go ahead with in-person speakers, beginning with Nancy Parrish, on Sept. 1 at 10 a.m.
“Nancy was originally going to present her latest book to us last April, but was canceled due to COVID-19 closure of in-person use of the library,” said Chris Dunn, program coordinator for FOL. “She will have the opportunity to finally share her research and her book “The Downton Era” with us.” Dunn added that to attend programs please check with the library for current COVID guidelines. There will not be refreshments provided at this event but those attending are welcome to bring a snack or drink.
The big news FOL shared is the return of the annual book sale in October instead of November. The sale opens to the public Thursday, Oct. 7. From Oct. 7-9 the full price will be charged on books purchased and then half price for books sold from Oct. 12-16. The last week of the sale is the real bargain. Oct. 18-23 will only cost $4 for a bag of books. With no sale last year Cyndi Hoffman, the head librarian, said that they were exploding with books from all the donations over two years.
“As you can imagine, the library has been accepting book sale donations during this COVID pandemic, so we will have loads and loads of book offerings in the October book event. My advice to the public is to come more than once during the Oct. 7-23 book sale time frame,” said FOL president Cheryl Griffith.
“FOL can use volunteers in all stages of preparation,” said Dunn. Students at FUMA will be moving books from the shed to the library on Sept. 16-18 and then helping to pack the unsold books for a company to move them and make room for new book donations for the next year’s sale. They need volunteers to sort books from Sept. 20-Oct. 6, to collect money at the sale, and to re-stack books. Anyone interested in volunteering can leave contact information with the library desk or call the library.
Looking ahead, mystery writer Fred Shackleford, author of “The Ticket” will speak with FOL members on Nov. 3, at 10 a.m.
Griffith and Dunn both said that the FOL is holding up financially thanks to very generous members who not only joined in 2021 but added donations to their membership dues. The bulk of the money provided by FOL went to monthly “grab n go” take-home kits throughout the school year for children and adults of all ages. During the summer the kits have been available weekly. The FOL also sponsored a music event and contributes to bi-weekly story times and special programs all through the summer.
Some may still be wondering about COVID protocols now that people are gathering again but face the spread of the Delta variant.
“The library follows any current COVID protocols that the governor of Virginia mandates,” said Hoffman. “if you are unsure you can always give us a call or check our webpage – http://www.fcplva.org. Right now that means we ask people who are not vaccinated to please wear a mask.”
Like many chairs and presidents who were elected in late 2019, their leadership has been challenging with COVID while trying to keep their groups afloat and members interested. Cheryl Griffith was elected president in 2019 and conducted two meetings before COVID shut down everything.
“We are so proud that our library remained open to offer services during the pandemic and our members, even though we could not meet, continued to support the library,” said Griffith. “We have made some adjustments with our meetings because of COVID. We will continue to feed our minds with our wonderful speakers and authors. We know that the public always looked forward to our annual book sale, with some adjustments as well. We are so elated that Strong Team Realtors agreed to be the library’s corporate sponsor for the Fluvanna County Library book sale.”
Hoffman hopes to bring back the Friday evening movies at the library, beginning in November after the book sale.
FOL sponsored programs also include Tuesday Morning Story Time, which has been held outside, weather permitting.
The Grab n Go Kits have been popular during the pandemic, keeping everyone busy and continues the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Nov. 13, and Dec. 11. The kits are available for preschool, children, teens, and adults and are available while supplies last.
For more information about programs, events, kits, etc. contact the library at 589-1400, or contact them online at fluvannalibrary@gmail.com or visit online at https://www.fluvannacounty.org/library/page/fluvanna-county-library.
