Project Homeless Connect: Free Book Library

Today I volunteered at Project Homeless Connect's Free Books Library. Over 200 volunteers took over the Bill Graham Civic auditorium to offer an impressive range of services to the homeless including: vision exams / reading glasses, social security cards and other documentation, medical / dental screenings, hair cuts, massages, addiction recovery, photography, lunch, legal council, and, of course, free books! I left wishing, hoping that someday these sorts of services could always be made available to all U.S. citizens in an easily accessible, central location. I also felt inspired that so many people were willing to lend their time to help others. At our station, a stretch of 7 tables covered in books, we had four volunteers. A large part of our time was spent sorting over 500 books into categories and helping people find books of interest. Categories included: Spiritual, Memoir, Murder, Classics, Vintage, Poetry, Spanish, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction / Fantasy, Dogs & Cats (there was also a subcategory for fish), Romance, Self-Help, Children's, and Vampires (yes, these were so numerous and so sought after that they eventually received their own cateogory).

At the end of the day, we were invited to take some books with us. Here are some gems that I snagged from the pile:

[1905 Tom Thumb & The Three Little Pigs illustrated by Leslie Brooke formerly cataloged in the stacks at the Mill Valley Public Library. Beautiful illustrations!]

[Misc. intriguing reads: Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich,, My Uncle Osward by Roald Dahl, Alcools by Apollinaire, The Stories of John Cheever, The Manticore ("a monster with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion" as recommended by one of the participants, a girl from Olympia) by Robertson Davies]

[Leanne Shapton's Important Artifacts and Personal Property From The Collection of Lenore Doolan And Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry. Clever use of the catalog format to tell the tale of a fading relationship].