Free children’s books all March long at the Friends of the Library’s used book sale

The Friends of the Manchester District Library are giving away free kids’ books during March!

submitted by Brenda Bancroft, Book Sale Coordinator for the Friends of the Library

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday on the second, March is designated as National Reading Month. Children’s books, as well as young adult and tween/teen titles, are this month’s feature! Previous featured books were Romance (February), Thriller (January), Crafts & Hobbies (December), and Cookbooks & Entertaining (November) and are still available on the bookshelf to the left and also upstairs.

The Friends of the Manchester District Library would like to extend an invitation to any child or young person who visits the library the opportunity to select a FREE book during the month of March. These books may be selected at the new free book cart, which is located in the front lobby next to the check-out desk, or from the Used Book Sale on the first and second floors.

Did you know that reading to your child every day not only increases their comprehension skills but also reduces stress levels? Additionally, developing a love of reading provides lifelong benefits that reverberate throughout school and beyond.

The regular Used Book Sale is also available (as always!) — we’ve refreshed it with some new Sci-Fi/Fantasy, as well as some new hardcover titles. Hardcovers are $1 each and paperbacks, CDs, and DVDs are 50¢ each.

We’re still offering our free romance swap rack! Feel “free” to read, return, repeat with your favorite paperback romance novels. That is located on the first floor, next to the elevator.

So, you may be asking, who are the Friends? The Friends of the Library is a group of library patrons dedicated to supporting programs and events at the Manchester District Library that cannot be achieved within the scope of the Library’s budget and/or staff. Most of the Friends’ funds come from the ongoing used book sale. You can also support the sale by dropping off books on donation days, which are held the second Saturday of the month, from April through October in the Village Room from 10am to noon.

The Village Room is located on the lower level and can be accessed from the rear parking lot of the Library. When donating your books, please keep in mind that any donated item must be in a condition you would gladly give to a friend. Please do not donate VHS tapes, cassette tapes, magazines, encyclopedias, textbooks, toys, crafts, frames, or damaged books. We consider damaged books to be anything that has torn or loose pages, stains, mold, watermarks, must, or excessive handwritten notes and highlighting. The Friends’ book sale has provided funds for the Library’s summer reading program and other special programs at the Library. The Friends also supports reading more widely in the community with contributions to reading programs in the schools by sponsoring a “Free Little Library“ and giving away children’s books during the annual Village Halloween event, to name a few. You can stop by the Free Little Libraries around town and exchange books, especially those from this free book giveaway!

Any resident of the areas served by Manchester District Library can be a member of the Friends group. There is no membership fee to be part of the Friends and they meet three times per year in January, May, and October at the Library. Are you interested in joining? Here’s how!

• You can fill out a membership form at the library.
• You can show up at any meeting or donation day and say: “Hey, I want to join!”
• You can email the coordinator of the Friends’ group at fotmdl912@gmail.com.

Manchester District Library (MDL) is proud to serve the Village of Manchester, Manchester Township, Bridgewater Township, and Freedom Township. Village of Clinton and Clinton Township residents are also eligible for MDL library cards and welcome to use all MDL resources. Friends of the Manchester District Library’s Used Book Sale is available when the Library is open. Manchester District Library hours are Monday–Thursday, 10am–8pm; Friday, 10am–6pm; and Saturday, 10am–2pm. The most up-to-date hours and the latest news are always available on the MDL Website.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.