By Jennifer Hubbard

For those who have missed browsing the shelves at Rowan Public Library, I bring good news: The Second Saturday Bookshop, a used bookstore at West End Plaza (the former Salisbury Mall), is now open the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

This lovechild of Friends of Rowan Public Library has been a long time coming. We were all set to open on March 14 when…well, you know. But the books have been patient, shelves and shelves of them spanning the genres. More good news: they’re cheap! Hardbacks are $2, paperbacks are $1, and most children’s books go for 50 cents.

The best news is that every penny you spend in the shop goes right back to your public library to fund special programs and needs. Friends of Rowan Public Library is a non-profit organization that runs on volunteer power and yearly membership dues — a mere $10 per year — which guarantees you, among other perks, early access to our annual book sale, which will happen in the bookshop this November. We depend on your book donations, too, and although we aren’t able to take them now, we welcome them as soon as the public library is able to open its doors.

If you are comfortable venturing out, we hope to see you Sept. 12 and every second Saturday thereafter. Please note that we practice social distancing and require masks in The Second Saturday Bookshop.

Jennifer Hubbard is president of Friends of Rowan Public Library.