The Book Nook at the Troy Public Library was again open for business Wednesday and patrons were browsing the bookshelves.

A “Closed until further notice” sign posted on the door of the Book Nook last week caused quite a bit of concern among its volunteers and patrons.

The Book Nook is operated by the Friends of the Library organization and supports the public library with funds from the sale of gently used books.

“I went to ‘work’ Wednesday morning and saw the sign and I was surprised,” said Keith Roling, a volunteer at the Book Nook. “I was not informed of the closing. I called around to other volunteers and none of them knew anything about it. We were all in the dark.”

Patrons were also caught unaware, Roling said.
“As volunteers, we didn’t have any answers when asked about the closing,” he said. “I was disappointed in how the situation was handled.”

Juanita Rogers, chair of the Friends of the Library, said the “closed until…” sign was posted because she had to be out of town due to the illness of a close friend.

“I couldn’t be here, and didn’t know for how long,” she said. “The morning hours are 9 until noon and from 1 until 5 in the afternoon. We didn’t have enough volunteers to keep the Book Nook open. If a volunteer had to be out, there was no one to fill in.”

Rogers said the Book Nook will now be open during regular hours when volunteers are available.

“This is a great place to volunteer and you can volunteer as much time or as little as your schedule permits,” she said. “Some people volunteer for a morning or afternoon while others volunteer for a couple of hours.”

For more information or to volunteer at the Book Nook, call the Troy Public Library at 566-1314.

The Book Nook has books, videos CDs, games and puzzles. Most books are 50 cents.

Rogers said sales from the Book Nook provide funds for unbudgeted items at the TPL and support the children’s summer programs and the genealogy department.