Book Brigade ready to work Saturday

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

WESTHAMPTON - Volunteers will form a human chain across South Road Saturday morning as they move books from the current library's Children's Section to their future home in the new library across the street.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., a group of children dubbed "The Book Brigade" will pass books along one-by-one until they reach the town's newly constructed library, located across from Town Hall.

In 2008, town officials received a $1.1 million matching grant as part of the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program to build a new library.

With the state's portion of the funding in place, the town bought the historic Parsonage building across the street from the town's former 2,500-square-foot library.

The newly renovated 4,200-square-foot building, equipped with a larger learning space for local children and a 60-seat community room for assorted town meetings, will have a "soft opening" in early September and a grand opening celebration at the town's annual Fall Festival in October.

The book brigade is expected to wrap up around 11 a.m. and library officials said any residents looking to volunteer are welcome.

An article published in this week's edition of The Summit, which is distributed in the Gazette on Thursdays to readers in Easthampton, Southampton and Westhampton. incorrectly stated that the brigade would be transporting books today.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com