Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Bright Lights Book Project but Never Thought to Ask
Contributed by Alys Culhane
The Bright Lights Book Project continues to grow. The project’s site of origin was the VCRS Recycling Center processing floor. I, along with co-founder Bill Schmidtkunz discovered that there were literally thousands of books that, at the time, were being recycled. Bill and I foresaw the importance of getting the books into the hands of appreciative readers, which was why we began putting all our energy into this endeavor.
Our first intake/distribution site was The Meeting House on South Bailey Street. We outgrew this space, but a year ago we leased space in the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel. The 2,000 square foot space suits our current book intake and distribution needs; however, we foresee that when our leap into literacy program takes off, we’ll need more space.
What follows are answers to questions that we are frequently asked:
Where do the books that you take in come from?
Palmer is a crossroads for used books of all types. Some sources include The Mat-Su and Anchorage School Districts, individuals needing to pare down their inventory, thrift stores, and Title Wave and Black Birch Books.
What do you do with incoming books?
We clean, sort, stamp, categorize and distribute them. Pam Huyck, the BLBP office manager, trains volunteers who assist with these particulars.
What sort of books do you accept?
Children’s books are like gold to us. We’re now in the process of boxing up 240 boxes of books that will go to villages beginning in September. Alaskan books are equally welcome. Many of these books are now on the Mat-Su College Library shelves. The rest have been placed on community bookshelves where they’ve been claimed very quickly. We also accept hard covered fiction and paperback fiction as well as general nonfiction books.
What sort of books don’t you accept?
We do the best we can to extend the shelf life of the books that come our way. We’ve discovered that no one wants moldy, water-logged, smokey (including cigarette smoke), or books missing pages. We don’t take older textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, cookbooks, get rich quick, or self-help books in which the subject is body image. It’s best to take these books to VCRS where they will be recycled.
What are your hours?
The Bright Lights Book Project intake hours are 1-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. However, we are often out distributing books. Your best bet is to make an appointment; contact Executive Director Alys Culhane at director@brightlightsbookproject.org.
I’d like to do volunteer work for the BLBP. How do I go about this?
Step right up. We cannot do the good work we do without volunteer support. We have many tasks that need doing, but we first ask volunteers to spend some time cleaning and stamping children’s book.
What does the future hold for the BLBP?
No pun intended, but the future looks bright for the BLBP. Our mission centers around getting books into the hands of appreciative readers. And our vision statement is “Envisioning the power of literacy to change lives.” Initially, our focus was on fulfilling our mission. Now we’re developing a literacy program. In September our events, classes, and programs will have a literacy-related focus.
What happened to the bookcases in the Koslosky Building?
The building owner told us to remove them because they were distracting Palmer’s homeless population. We relocated the bookcases: our sports and fitness bookcase is now in the MTA Building, our general interest bookcase is now in the Clocktower in Wasilla; we’ve also added two bookcases to the hallway at the Eagle Hotel, including a bookcase of large format “coffee table” books.
Who are your non-profit partners?
We have numerous partners, and we all work at making our relationships reciprocal. For example, we work closely with Kid’s Kupboard. Melina Sevigny, who is currently the Kid’s Kupboard Executive Director, was a founding member/President of the BLBP. This summer the BLBP and Kid’s Kupboard provided both books and lunches to children in need. The Palmer Lions Club has also provided us with financial support and volunteers since I became a member this past March.
How have you financed this amazing venture?
Our revenue has mainly been grants, which have been provided to us by numerous organizations including The Mat-Su Health Foundation, Saltchuk, The Palmer Community Foundation, MTA, and The Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union. Financial support for our Books in the Villages Program came from a Federal Appropriation Grant, which was sponsored by Alaska State Senator Lisa Murkowski.
What if I can’t find a specific book that I’m looking for?
We suggest you check out Fireside Books in Palmer and Black Birch Books in Wasilla. We are lucky to have such wonderful bookstores in the Mat-Su area – please support them.
For more information check out our website - www.brightlightsbookproject.com. On our website we also have a list upcoming event.