Book Sale Continues Through Generations at Middleburgh Library

Former Trustee, Sonny Ochs, and Trustee Co-President, Diane Stewart greeted Annual Book Sale attendees, offered bags to fill with books, manned the table, and accepted donations for the Middleburgh Library.

Diane Stewart noted there were a lot of children’s books donated this year. Many visitors noticed and happily flocked to peruse the selection during the Sale.

Elizabeth Motschmann, Leo, Isaac, and Levi proudly showcasing a favorite book find at this year’s Annual Book Sale. They’ve been coming to the Middleburgh Library for years, enjoying Storytimes and the annual Homeschool Science Fair.

By Heather Skinner

MIDDLEBURGH — Standing in the Middleburgh Library’s Community Room on Saturday, July 26th, you could hear the buzz of Annual Book Sale attendees expressing, "Great event, we come every year. Gotta love the library!" and children enthusiastically asking, “Mommy, will you read this to me?”

The Sale is traditionally held the same weekend of the Middleburgh Rotary ‘s Annual Arts and Crafts Festival in July and has been continued over the years thanks to the dedication of many contributors.

Director Teresa Pavoldi (Miss Terry) explained, “Before the "new" library opened in 2004, members of the century club (some of whom were on our board) would hold a book sale on the Dr. Best House & Medical Museum lawn. When the new library was occupied, it was members of the century club who would organize and run the sale - as it was when I started here 17 years ago. The last century club person to run the book sale was Theresa Kahrs.”

While Trustee Kahrs has unfortunately since passed, Diane Stewart took charge of the annual event after Clerk and Volunteer Director of Local History and Genealogy, Anne Lamont, ran it for 4 or 5 years after Kahrs.

Pavoldi credited Stewart for making a, “Significant change when she started with the book sale - all items are by donation. This way people can pay what they think is fair or what they can afford. We get some people donating quite a lot and some very little, but it all works out fine!”

Stewart, Pavoldi, Trustees Scott Kiedong and Juanita Reyes, and former Senior Library Clerk Vicki Degroff spent time before the sale sorting and setting up. Due to the amount of storage space available for book donations, The Middleburgh Library weeds through their shelf collection and starts collecting for their Annual Book Sale each May; seeking the donation of gently used books that are not smelly, dirty, or damaged. They also typically don’t accept encyclopedias or Reader's Digest type books.

Any books not bought by donation after the sale ended were due to be boxed up for Rotterdam’s Book Warehouse to acquire. If you’re wondering what to expect for next year’s Sale, Stewart said each year is different. For example, there weren’t as many nonfiction books donated this year, but you can always expect to find a room full of books, puzzles, DVDs, CDs, and not knowing what you will find among them will be an exciting treasure hunt!

Color Our World Summer Reading Program events for all ages continue through the month of August including August 4th ‘s 11 AM Bubble Mania for kids Pre-K through 2nd grade, Eat the Rainbow Super Salad Bar for kids 2nd through 5th grade on August 6th at 1 PM, and Colorful Characters Storytime: Bluey Bash! For kids ages 2 – 6 August 12th at 10:45 AM. August 7th at 1 PM Teens can join for a Songwriting Workshop with no musical background necessary, and adults can enjoy Tuesday Mahjong from 1 PM – 4 PM and The Not So Quiet Concert Series with Zach Stevenson on August 24th at 4 PM. Check out Middleburgh Library’s full upcoming calendar of events through their website, registration for all events is required and they are located at 323 Main Street.

September 20th from 10 AM- 1 PM, Our Friends Book Sale and Basket Raffle will take place at the Cobleskill Community Library located at 110 Union Street. If you would like to drop off a basket for the raffle, you have until August 23rd, and if you would like to donate books for their sale you have until September 19th. Director Kimberly Zimmer confirmed that The Friends have recently obtained Venmo for accepting payments and donations.

Schoharie Library & Sharon Springs Free Library also have annual book sales; watch their Facebook pages and website event calendars for updates. Also, The Community Library has an ongoing sale by donation selection in their basement, and The Middleburgh Library always has some books for purchase by donation in their Book Nook by the circulation desk and offers additional book sales a few times a year in the back hall that they update about on their Facebook page.