GREENFIELD — While community meal programs have taken to giving out bags of food amid current COVID-19 restrictions, the Greenfield Public Library has opted to do the same with books.
On Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon, residents lined up on the library’s front lawn to get bags of fiction or non-fiction books for adults that were packaged with a theme, such as romance or World War II.
Ordinarily, the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library holds book sales to get rid of the extra volumes kept in the library’s basement. But, with the library still closed to the public as a result of the pandemic, the book sales have been canceled.
Instead, Greenfield Public Library’s staff members started bagging books to give away on a weekly basis so residents can have new pieces of literature to read while the library is closed to the public. Assistant Head of Borrower Services Francesca Passiglia said it feels good to creatively make books available to their patrons during this time.
To minimize potential spread of COVID-19, the library is not accepting donations of books right now, Passiglia said. Likewise, the library does not want the books that are given out on Wednesdays to be returned.
During the next book giveaway, which will start at 10 a.m. on June 10, the library will have bags of books for both children and adults. There is a limit of one bag per person, and attendees are asked to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
Reach Paul Franz at 413-772-0261, ext. 266 or pfranz@recorder.com.
