The Schoharie Library lost more than 5,000 books in post-Tropical Storm Irene flooding. It was closed until just two weeks ago. The recovery is still a work in progress and staff at the William K. Sanford Library in the Town of Colonie are trying to speed things up.
On Friday, July 13, a daylong read-a-thon will be held at the Colonie library from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The family event, part of the library’s summer reading program, is free and will raise money and gather books for the Schoharie Library.
“We’re going to read for 12 hours straight … and will do that through many different events,” said Youth Service Librarian Elissa Valente, “While we’re doing that, we’re raising awareness about the recovery in Schoharie.”
Valente said the library is working with three local bookstores to get books donated for the children’s room at Schoharie, which was hardest hit by flooding. Monetary donations will also be accepted at the read-a-thon and will be used to purchase additional materials for the children’s room.
As a community staple with its own large children’s room, Valente said everyone at William K. Sanford was eager to help.
“Certainly we know what an important thing the children’s room is to the community and when we heard the majority of damage to the library was done to the children’s room, we thought it would be something we’d like to do to help our fellow library,” said Valente.
The day of reading is broken up into themed time slots.
From 9 to 10 a.m., have breakfast on the library lawn.
“People can bring a book, we’re going to have coffee, and they can read on the lawn while having coffee,” said Valente, who said Hannaford and Price Chopper are helping out with food.
From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., it’s “baby and me,” also on the lawn. Teen volunteers will read board books to children up to 3 years old. Valente said it’s an attempt to include every age group in the read-a-thon.
From 10 to 11 a.m. the world renowned Storycrafters will entertain kids age 4 and up. Featured on national platforms like the “Today Show,” the storytelling couple travel the country and world offering modern twists on class stories.
Children can read to therapy dogs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from noon to 1 p.m., eat while you read.
“Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket,” said Valente. “We’ll be providing lemonade and popsicles and families are welcome to come and read.”
1 to 3 p.m. is “celebrity hour,” with famous local faces reading books about their profession, from a DARE police officer to a mailman.
Take a break from 3 to 5 p.m. with “cozy corner.” Blankets and pillows will fill the main room of the library for quiet reading time. From 5 to 6p.m., it’s a community reading event where an audio book will be projected on a large screen for every one to read along. Pizza will be available for $1.
Teachers from local elementary schools will hold storytime from 6 to 8 p.m. and the night wraps up with “pajama hour” from 8 to 9 p.m.
“Kids can bring a stuffed animal and pajamas and have a quiet last hour to end the day,” said Valente.
Cathy Caiazzo, executive director of the Schoharie Library, said she’s grateful for the help.
“It’s very encouraging to see the amount of help that people are willing to give you. It says great things about the future of libraries,” said Caiazzo.
She said the rebuilding process has been long but an end might finally be in sight.
“We’ve had a lot of stuff donated. … I haven’t bought anything new since we got flooded because I had no place to put them, so this will be good to catch up,” said Caiazzo.
Open Door Book Store and The Bookhouse will donate books in honor of the Friday read-a-thon and Barnes and Noble will give customers the option of buying a book for Schoharie with 10 percent of the purchase also going to the library.
