Dear Friends,
This year, we’ve seen the best of our community as we have rallied together through challenging times. We’ve adapted, worked to protect public health, supported our local businesses, and found creative ways to support those who serve the needs of our community. Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML) celebrates this collective spirit as we too adapt to continue to serve the educational and informational needs of all members of our community.
In March, BHML collaborated with the school libraries at BRES and BRHS to issue library cards by mail to over 200 students so they could access BHML’s digital library during the school and library closures. We launched a community-wide poetry project (POETRY NOW!) and collected works from dozens of local poets from first time writers to seasoned writers and students. Miss Harolyn joined the ranks of children’s librarians who delivered storytimes on-line as we worked to stay connected to budding readers. In June, BHML opened for curbside service following CDC, state, and professional guidelines and the staff is thrilled to see patrons again, albeit at a distance!
This year, summer reading has gone online; if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late, visit bbhlibrary.org/summerreading2020! Since the onset of closures and quarantine, use of online resources has almost doubled compared to the same time last year. Hoopla use increased 40%! And, you can still call, email, and place orders directly in the catalog for physical books.
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 we were forced to cancel many of our summer fundraising events and activities. These include our annual fundraiser, crafters on the lawn, Books in Boothbay, and walk-in donations. In a “normal” summer, these activities would make up over $10,000 of our annual income, and they were an important part of meeting this year’s annual fundraising goal of $95,000.
With your support and generosity, we hope that you can help us close the gap. Please consider contributing what you can this year to BHML to make sure we can keep curbside service going and safely deliver new books, old favorites, DVDs, and audiobooks in our contact-free curbside service.
Read about ways to donate here at bbhlibrary.org/donate/ or make an online donation now.
When the time comes, we cannot wait to welcome the community back into the Library!
Sincerely,
BHML Board of Trustees
