SAUGUS — The Friends of the Saugus Public Library have been forced to make a difficult decision.
The group has canceled their annual Founders Day book sale, which was scheduled for Sept. 11, due to uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made as a result of growing concern due to a resurgence in cases largely driven by the highly-contagious Delta variant, and also general concern over planning.
Library Director Alan Thibeault said the group was worried about its ability to hold such a large event indoors.
“Where the numbers are going up and everything, the other option for them (The Friends of the Saugus Public Library) was to take the book sale outside, which isn’t really a good way to do it,” said Thibeault. “They (then) made the decision to not go forward with the sale this year.”
As there will be no book sale, the library will not be accepting donations of used books, DVDs, and music CDs; they simply don’t have the long-term storage capacity necessary to house them, according to the library, and suggested disposing of unwanted books at places such as local Goodwill and Savers stores.
The library is currently fully operational and offering all of its services. Thibeault said that by and large, the library looks like it did before the pandemic. He also mentioned how great it was to see the community return to the library.
“It’s great for the community,” stated Thibeault. “It’s good for the staff as well. We did the best we could, but it isn’t the same as allowing people in the building, allowing them to browse books, allowing them to use the public computers, (allowing them to use) the printing equipment. We just weren’t able to provide the same level of service.”
Residents who are still looking to celebrate Founders Day are able to enjoy the community room, but are reminded to wear a mask if they are not fully vaccinated.
