Roanoke, VA  USA

Hi,

    Although rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, we have had a week of beautiful fall weather.  It truly is my favorite time of the year.  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I volunteered to help unbox and arrange books for the semi-annual library book sale.  It felt good to do good and it was great to see former co-workers again.  The bonus was a “worker discount” at the coffee shop and discovering the nature trail behind the library.  I love libraries!!!!

Ru

Dear Friends:

It’s that time of year again!  The semi-annual book sale begins Saturday, October 11 and continues through Thursday, October 16.  The Friends’ preview sale is Friday the 10^th. Wednesday October 15 is ½ price day, and Thursday, October 16 is box day – fill your box with books for only $3.00 per box.

Of course, with the sale, comes the preparation.  We need volunteers for set up and the sale:

For Set Up, October 6 – 8 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday):

· 4 – 5 Lifters who can lift and move boxes of books once they are delivered to the library.  The boxes weigh approximately 40 pounds each.  Start time is approximately 9:00 am Monday; work until job is finished, usually by noon.  We can use a couple of people after lunch to assist with moving boxes.  (You can work in teams so that you don’t have to lift an entire box by yourself!)  We also have hand trucks.  J

· Unpackers and sorters to unpack the boxes of books and arrange the books on the proper tables.  You will need to be able to bend and lift, and carry a few books.  Volunteers needed from 9:00 to 5:00 pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  You can work all day, ½ day or a couple of hours.  Your preference; we just need to know what works for you.

· The room will close from noon to 1 for lunch.

For the Sale, October 11 – 16, during library hours:

· Customer Service Guides to walk the sales floor, offering assistance with locating books, handing out shopping bags, answering questions, carrying bags to the holding area (so customers can continue to shop), straightening tables, assisting the counters and cashiers as needed.  Shifts available from 9:00 to 5:00 Saturday, October 12; from 1-5 on Sunday, October 12; and from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday, October 13 through Thursday, October 16.

· Counters (to count the number of sale items by price, and send the tally with the customer to the cashier) and Cashiers.  Volunteers needed Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday from 1-5, and Monday through Thursday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.  Shifts are available; you won’t have to work the entire time; just let us know your preference.

So this past Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I volunteered to “unpack and sort.”  Tuesday was fine and I unboxed books and put them where they were supposed to be as much as that could happen with so many books and not so much table space for them.  Wednesday I did something a bit different.  The Friends have an ongoing book sale of the weeded library books and media.  They were displayed in a separate area just across from the small Mill Mountain Coffee shop that is housed in the library.  Things have definitely changed since I worked in the library when it was located on 419.  The new building is lovely and there is a wonderful nature trail just behind the library. 

A few years ago I went on a tour while it was being built, but we’d returned to the boat before the grand opening.

The coffee shop has a drive through too. The trail from the back of the library

The raised walkway over the wetlands area Viewing Platform South County Library Wetland Trail – Roanoke, VA      The South County Library Wetland Trail trail is just a small part of Roanoke County’s master plan to balance its parks’ ball fields and parking lots with nature. A few years ago, the Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department conducted a survey asking what citizens were looking for. Their response was more passive park land: trails, greenways, and natural areas where families can enjoy wildlife. Bridge Builders USA, Inc. worked with Roanoke County to construct this 900 linear foot pedestrian walkway near the South County Library site. The 10′ wide boardwalk features a 10’x30′ overlook platform and will eventually incorporate signs explaining the value of wetlands and its inhabitants. In some places, the boardwalk is only 18" above the environmentally sensitive wetlands which contains 30% of the areas plant species. Special environmental permits were granted for the project. The County of Roanoke required that all work associated with the construction of the wetland boardwalk trail and viewing platform shall be conducted with minimal environmental impact, performed from the deck level and above the grade of the wetland within the trail corridor. As a pioneer in "top-down" construction, Bridge Builders USA, Inc. was a "natural" fit and constructed the boardwalk while preserving the surrounding environmentally sensitive areas and wetlands. http://www.bridgebuilders.com/featured_projects.php “For wheelchair accessibility, please park in the lot to the far left side of Penn Forest Elementary, then take the crosswalk at the roundabout and walk down the concrete sidewalk along Merriman Rd to access the boardwalk.” https://va-roanokecountyrec.civicplus.com/ I walked from the coffee shop exit down a lengthy set of stairs to access the greenway.  So it is only in retrospect that I asked myself if the walkway was wheelchair accessible.  I don’t think it is from the library.  But I thought it was funny wording that Parks and Rec told someone in a wheelchair to walk down the concrete sidewalk.  I would have said ‘and continue along the concrete sidewalk.’

The sunny area of the coffee shop

Organized chaos Actually lots had been done on Monday; but all of those boxes under the tables had to be moved, opened, and the books inside put in rows under the tables.  I spent most of the morning doing just that. Wednesday morning things were more under control and so I worked on the weeded (removed from the collection because no longer needed) books partly to avoid dealing with the media formats which appeal to me less.  But unboxing and shelving the weeded books needed doing and I enjoyed doing that.

Of course there were drinks and snacks.  Tuesday I had the delicious coffee cake and Wednesday a wonderful homemade cookie.