The Longboat Library has a new collection of books

The Longboat Library received so many donations in the spring and early summer that the back room was filled with boxes and bags of books. On Aug. 10, library volunteers cleaned house and had a half-off sale. 

“Our collection has really changed.” library volunteer Barbara Torrence said. “The things we have for sale are a lot of new materials, and we’re getting rid of a lot of the things that have been on the shelf for a while.” 

The books that didn’t sell will be donated to Goodwill and distributed around town into Little Free Library boxes, community boxes that encourage book-sharing and provide 24/7 access to books. Volunteer Mary McGrath left with a bag-full and was headed to the Little Free Library at Bayfront Park. 

There are at least three around the island. The other two are in the butterfly garden at Bicentennial Park and on the corner of Sloop Lane and Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

Susan Phillips, the assistant to the town manager, walked across the street from Town Hall to pick up books on her lunch break. She reads them and then stocks the Little Free Library.

“I keep a stack of books in my office,” she said, “I’ve got six books in there now that I’ll walk over to the park.” 

It looks like a resident hung the Little Free Library on a tree near Sloop Lane, but the other two were furnished by the town. After the first one went in at Bayfront Park, Phillips requested one for Bicentennial Park too. She asked library volunteers if they’d help keep it stocked. 

At 50 cents a book on sale at the library, the Little Free Library boxes are the only place on Longboat to find a better deal.