Hello friends,
By the time you read this I will be down visiting family in North Carolina, and trading the (mostly) rocky beaches of Maine to sandier shorelines of the Outer Banks. I am grateful for this time to see and reconnect with family. Phone calls and technology do a lot to bridge gaps, but there is nothing like in-person, face-to-face time.
I am also grateful for the cooperation between private citizens, businesses, and nonprofits that help make this such a vibrant community. I was reminded of this by one of our wonderful Bookshop volunteers as they described the help and support they receive on a regular basis from these different bodies. From individual volunteers staffing the Bookshop 7 days a week, to nonprofit orgs providing extra help for day-to-day chores and odd jobs, and local businesses going out of their way to provide critical support and help with kindness and humor. For purposes of privacy I will refrain from names, but the collaboration of different parties helps make possible so much of what we do at Skidompha and the Bookshop.
Thank you to everyone who kindly, and with good cheer and smiles, helps our institutions be so special.
Be well,
Matthew
PS — A quick update on the interlibrary loan situation. An email was sent to The Maine State Delivery listserv. To sum up, the Maine AG’s office has reviewed and approved the contract between Maine State Library and Stat Courier. We’re now waiting for the final procurement agency review before it is sent on to the State Procurement Review Committee. I know this is moving slowly and I apologize again that we are without this precious service. Please hang in there. We’re impatient as well, and cannot wait to start pulling books in from around the country for you.