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SUNNY Temp: 51 °F Wind: N at 3 mph Wednesday, February 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 5, 2003 Mike Blank and Randi Hodges of Northwest Stonewise Inc. in Shady Cove are building the letters that will be on the new main branch of the Jackson County Library in Medford. They�ve completed these letters in the word �library.� Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Read a good book lately? Now, donate it ‘Read and release’ idea will stock local library shelves with offerings bought at bookstores By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune The Jackson County Library System is fishing for new books, so they have a suggestion for local residents: "Read and release." Under a program that starts today, four local bookstores will encourage customers to buy books, read them, then donate them to the library and receive a tax write-off. "If you’re going to buy it and it’s going to collect dust on your shelf anyway, why not just donate it and help the library out," said Bruce Budmayr, general manager of Barnes and Noble. The bookstore, as well as Bloomsbury Books, Soundpeace and Waldenbooks, will have signs and bookmarks that encourage customers to participate in the library’s Read and Release program. "You buy the book, you read it and then you donate it," said Meghan O’Flaherty, central library manager. There’s something for everyone in the deal. Local booksellers get good publicity, buyers get to take a tax deduction and the library gets books that it might not be able to afford, she said. O’Flaherty said the library has far more readers than available copies of popular books. Titles such as "The Lovely Bones" have 236 people signed up who would like to check the book out. "For good new books we can take all we can get," said O’Flaherty. Any new book donated to the library will include a notation inside saying it was part of the Read and Release Program, she said. The library system, which has budgeted $547,000 for new books this year, will also take more heavily used books or paperbacks. The Friends of the Library will sell off excess books or books that are too worn for the collection. Lorrie Kovell, library collection development manager, said, "People already donate nice used books, but we’re hoping to get some new books." The Library Foundation is paying for the program, providing the bookmarks and posters that will be displayed in bookstores. Kovell hopes to make this an ongoing program where incentives are offered to book store customers to encourage them to donate to the library. "It’s a way people can get involved in the library in a grassroots sort of way," said Kovell. Karen Chapman, co-owner of Bloomsbury Books in Ashland, said there is already interest in the program, with some of her customers interested in making the donations. "A lot of people are already tuned into this," she said. Donating books to the library is always a good idea, said Chapman, whose mother had a large collection. "When my mother went to a nursing home, we just donated them all to the library," she said. "She even got a tax deduction." Waldenbooks Manager Lloyd Dual said, "I think since a lot of people use the library they wouldn’t hesitate to donate their books." Most requested books in the Jackson County library system and the number of people waiting to read them: Fiction: 1. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold — 236 2. "The Little Friend" by Donna Tartt — 99 3. "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel — 76 4. "Standing in the Rainbow" by Fannie Flagg —65 people 5. "The Crimson Petal" and the White by Michel Faber — 60 Non-Fiction: 1. "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore — 92 2. "My Losing Season" by Pat Conroy— 45 3. "Longitudes and Attitudes" by Thomas L. Friedman — 36 4. "A Long Way From Home" by Tom Brokaw — 23 5. "Catch Me If You Can" by Frank Abegnale —23 Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S