The library parking lot taught me something last Thursday

Last Thursday I needed to renew a book at the Westlake Porter library and parked at the far end near the old oak tree. There was a woman struggling to load three heavy boxes into her trunk, so I offered a hand and we got to talking. She was dropping off donated children's books for the annual sale, and she mentioned how the shelves have been sparse this year. That made me realize I hadn't donated anything since my kids grew out of their picture books about four years ago. I went home, pulled two plastic tubs from the basement, and sorted out maybe 40 gently used titles. Has anyone else cleared out their bookcases for the spring sale, or is it just me who hoards them for too long?

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foster.dylan1mo ago

Keeping books around for years is not hoarding, it is just being smart with what you already own. My kids are grown and I still have every single one of their books on a shelf in the spare room, and I have zero plans to clear them out for some sale. Those books hold memories of reading them at bedtime and scribbling notes inside the covers, and no donation pile is worth losing that. Plus kids today have tablets and screens, so used picture books are not exactly flying off the shelves anyway. The library can buy new copies if they really need them, my tax dollars already cover that. Some things are worth holding onto even if they take up space in the basement.

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