WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The reading room inside the Osterhout Free Library was not only filled with books for an annual book sale but with shoppers too.
"This is the 44th year that we've had," explained Irene Martine, the president of the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library. "Obviously different this year due to COVID restrictions we weren't able to plan to have something under the tent in June."
The sale is inside this year and limited to 30 shoppers at a time, but volunteers say traffic has been steady.
The basement of the library is stuffed with boxes filled with book donations that are used to restock the book sale upstairs, every hour or so.
"As we see gaps on the tables in certain categories, we just are continually restocking and that's the way we're able to move more of the inventory that we have accumulated over the last two years," said Martin.
Which is good news to shoppers like Chloe Degraffenreid, who plans on making another visit.
"I like to make stories in my head surrounding it, so books do that for me. And then I take inspiration from that and make my own stories. And sometimes, write them down so I really just enjoy the whole concept of story-making," said Chloe.
That was easy to see when she walked out of the library with this load of books. But she says that holding a book in her hand gives her something she can't get anywhere else, even online.
"In a very digital world, it's good to remind yourself that things are real, it's because sometimes you forget that if you stay online a little too long, as I know it happens to a lot of people you just, it just nothing feels real and you space out, but, books give me somewhere to be and whether that's in their world are in mine just holding it, It gives me somewhere to go," said Chloe.
The book sale continues Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturday is also "bag day" when you can fill a reusable grocery bag with books for $5.