The Raleigh County Public Library is temporarily suspending donations for the Friends of the Library Book sale while developing new donation policies. Raleigh County Public Library Director Amy Stover said the suspension was due to the discovery of mold, insects, and animal droppings in recent donations. “We’re suspending donations through the month of January while we evaluate our policies and procedures and come up with a better way to process donations and communicate with the public about what we’re looking for in donations,” Stover said. Stover said she believed the contaminated donations were all unintentional and likely resulted from items not being appropriately stored or being stored for an extended period of time before they were donated. However, as donations are typically dropped off inside the library, Stover said they are looking to develop new procedures for donations. “This intent is to resume donations in 2025; we’ve just got to make some changes here,” she said. “We’re considering putting in an outside donation bin so things perhaps don’t get into the library proper before they are evaluated.” Despite the issues with donations, Stover said the library does appreciate all that the community does for them and the good intentions behind the donations. “I want to tell people thank you so much for thinking of us. The library is happy to welcome you here, and we hope to accept your donations in the future,” Stover said. She added that anyone with questions is welcome to stop by and talk with a staff member. Stover said the library was collecting donations in the form of books in good condition and movies for the Friends of the Library Book’s biannual book sale. The Friends of the Library book sale happens twice a year, in April and October. The date for the upcoming book sale in April has not been set. Stover said proceeds from the sale have allowed the Friends of the Library to assist the library in various projects over the years, from funding the bookmobile to remodeling the library.
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